Lost Soldiers
by The Cat Crusader
Summary: Beast Wars/Unicron Triligy - The Beast Wars are turned up-side down when a human is added to the mix. How will things turn out now? SOON TO BE REVISED / chapters  new and revised  will be painfully slow in coming
1. Embark

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Transformers or any other copy righted name(s) and/or item(s) mentioned in the texts to follow. Original characters belong to me unless specified otherwise. No copyright infringement intended.

**AN:** I would first like to say thank you for taking time out of your day to read this. I also want to publicly thank the Lord for giving me the time, talent and patients to write this. It means a lot to me. This story and the characters in it mean a lot to me. I have been working diligently on this story for over five years and I am very proud of what it has become. I hope you will enjoy reading this as much as I have enjoyed writing and rewriting it.

**Beast Wars: Lost Solders**

**#1 - Embark**

_Set one week after episode four, season one: Equal Measures_

A large purple spider made his way through a thick forest to a clearing just ahead. He was carrying a piece of equipment with a menacing looking cymbal on the front. When he reached the clearing, he set up the machine behind a tree. He chuckled evilly as he pressed a few buttons on the small control panel. He then talked into some kind of comm. link. "The transwarp drive is now in place, Megatron. Ready to begin the mission."

-x-

_2009, June 23, Monday  
United States, Arizona, Tombstone_

"Hey Emily! You ready?" a young black haired girl called, waving from the open mini van window as her father got out of the driver's seat.

"You bet Tina!" Emily called back as she raced up to the open window. The two girls then held up the charms of their necklaces and put them together to form the whole heart. Emily's father came up behind her with his and her luggage to meet Tina's father.

"Hey! Wait for me!" a brown haired boy whined from the front door of the house. Walking backwards, he was dragging an overstuffed suit case while trying to keep his balance because of a fat backpack and keep the front door open at the same time.

Both girls rolled their eyes and giggled.

"What does Ken have in there?" Tina asked.

Emily scoffed, tucking some stray strands of her short, dirty blond hair behind her ear. "Well, let's see: his Ben Ten alien figures, the watch game thing, his Bionicles, light sabers, guns, and **my** 20-Q."

"Alright!" another black haired boy exclaimed from the back seat, jumping out and running up to Ken, a DS in one hand. His name was Daniel.

Both fathers had been watching the scene with amused smiles before they turned to one another. "Thanks for letting us come along with you to the mountains for the first week of summer, Carlos."

Carlos waved it off and ran his fingers through his black, springy hair. "Eh, no problem Rad, ol' buddy."

"And we are going to them about _them_ on this trip, aren't we?" Rad asked, a strange, hopeful look in his blue eyes.

Carlos nodded. "I just don't know why we didn't tell them sooner, y'know?"

"Yeah..."

Rad White and Carlos Lopez were all grown up and had families of their own now. They never forgot the Transformers but never told their children about them. That would soon change on this summer trip to the Rockies for a week of hiking, canoeing, swimming, and fishing. Especially for one of the kids...

"_Parde_, we going or not?" Tina asked eagerly.

"Coming _chica_," Carlos answered her. "Come on boys, let's load up!"

-x-

After being on the road for over an hour in an almost over cramped van, everyone was still talking. The boys about TV shows, the girls about books, and the fathers about what their wives must be doing.

Before we listen in on the girls' conversation, which is about to take a turn, let's get a small bio on all four kids.

Let's start with Rad's kids. First, there was Emily. She was his oldest at 16 years. She looks almost just like him except she had her mother's hazel eyes. Ken got Rad's blue eyes and very dark blond hair. He is 13. Carlos and his wife started sooner to raise a family but their two oldest twin sons just started summer jobs this year so they weren't able to come along for the camping trip. Tina is 15. She had long, shiny black hair, deep brown eyes, and was very slim. Daniel is 11 and looks exactly like his dad only he let his hair grow a little longer.

Now let's get to the girls. After all, this story is about one of them...

Emily and Tina were sitting in the van near the back by the luggage, the 'bouncy seats'.

"You know, this week is gonna go by so fast," Emily commented.

"Yeah, we'll be having too much fun!" Tina said.

"I wish something cool like this would last a lifetime. Wouldn't it be great?" Emily said dreamily. "Or maybe like an adventure in a movie."

"Yeah... Hey, let's toast our water bottles to an awesome time at camp!" Tina suggested.

Emily pulled out her water bottle and held it up. Tina did the same. "To an awesome time at camp!" she announced.

"To an awesome time at camp!" Emily repeated and they tapped their bottles together and took a long sip.

"Oh hey, my mom gave me a whole bag of mini Hershey bars for while we're there. Want some?" Tina offered her best friend.

"Wow, yes please!" Emily answered eagerly. Both girls were big chocoholics and Tina's mother was very generous. Nobody filled the guys in on the surplus of candy. These girls were gonna be happy tonight.

-x-

"We're here!" Carlos informed the kids as he turned the van into a dirt parking lot. There was an immediate response of cheering and everyone scrambling to get out and see everything.

"Alright kids, come over here. I need to explain some things before we get started. Daniel, Ken, stop chasing the poor squirrels!" Carlos ordered the two boys with a laugh. When Daniel and Ken complied, Carlos continued.

"Now, before we head for the camp sight, I have some instructions-"

"Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints, don't feed the animals, and stay on the path," the four kids chimed. Both fathers looked at each other then laughed along with the kids.

"Yes, that's absolutely correct but you missed one; stay behind us during the hike," Rad finished.

-x-

The small group had been hiking for about fifteen minutes. Emily and Tina were deep in conversation. They were at the very back of the group, lagging behind a bit. They were just shifting the subject to their other friends at school when Carlos called Tina over to the front for a minute.

"I'll be right back," Tina promised as she jogged up the path.

"Alri- Aaaahh!" Emily screamed the last part. A portal had suddenly opened up right where she was going to take another step. The last thing she heard was the others crying her name.

"EMILY!"

The force of the portal opening seemed to swallow her, nearly tugging the backpack right off her back. She held on to it and her lunch bag for dear life. After a few painstakingly long seconds, the portal's end came into view.

The next thing she knew, she was standing in a clearing in a new, strange forest. She stood still, breathing hard, her heart pounding wildly.


	2. Confusion

**#2 - Confusion**

The portal closed behind Emily with an ominous explosion/zap. She stood there jerking her head all around, searching for any signs of life. Her mind was racing with questions: _What happened? Where am I? What's going on?_

"Well, well, what have we here?" a hissing voice spoke. Emily gasped and whirled around to face _the_ largest spider she'd ever seen. She wanted to scream and run like there was no tomorrow but her feet froze and her voice disappeared. All she could do was stand and stare with her mouth open in a silent wail, hazel eyes stretched wide with fear and surprise.

"Please, don't be alarmed. My name is Tarantulas," said the purple spider.

"I- I- I, uh, I'm, wha...?" she stuttered. Tarantulas waited expectantly for her to get her words straight. "A talking spider?" was all she could get out. He shook his head (an interesting feat for an arachnid) and grumbled.

"Perhaps you would feel more comfortable if I looked more similar to you. Tarantulas: Terrorize!" he screeched. Then he, for lack of a better word, transformed. Before Emily now stood a robot with parts of his spider form still visible. She was so stunned that her legs buckled beneath her and she collapsed to the ground in a sitting position.

"Are you alright?" Tarantulas asked, but only with a hint of concern. After a pause and heavy breathing, Emily blurted out her confusion.

"No! I'm not alright! I've been transported to another planet or something who knows where and I'm talking with a _robot_ spider thing that speaks **English**!" she screamed, blowing out all her thoughts.

"Please, calm down! I'll be able to send you back to the moment you left but that will take some time. I need to fix the transwarp drive and- d'oh, never mind. For now, you will have to come back with me to the base. I need to report this to Megatron," he explained to her. She nodded, though not really understanding, and got up.

"I... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have exploded like that... Who's Megatron?" she asked.

"Megatron is our leader. I'll explain everything to you on the way. Oh, I don't believe you've told me your name yet," he said.

"E-erm... Do I have to answer that?" Emily asked awkwardly. Something, some small voice in the back of her head, screamed at her to not reveal who she was.

"I suppose not. Perhaps Megatron will convince you other wise," Tarantulas said with an almost evil sounding chuckle. That made Emily uneasy but she had no choice but to follow. Tarantulas transformed back into a spider. He said that an element called 'energon' would over load his systems if he didn't.

As they traveled to the Predacon base, Tarantulas told her every thing about their situation, or, at least what he was ordered to tell: about the Maximals attacking there ship just because they were Predacons, why they had come here in the first place (to find energon), Dinobot's betrayal, and why they were testing the transwarp drive.

"Megatron ordered me to test the transwarp driver to see if we could use it to get back to Cybertron. However, you came through and that makes things even more complicated. Ah, we're here," he announced, pointing to a trashed-looking space ship in the middle of a crater surrounded by lava pits.

"Talk about home sweet home," Emily muttered under her breath.

"Come, Megatron is waiting," Tarantulas beckoned, appearing not to have heard, and led her down the edge of the ravine and around the lava pools. This part of the trip was the worst in her mind. She felt like she was being cooked in the heat of the lava and she could hardly breathe.

Tarantulas transformed back into robot mode before they went inside the ship. The two went through the empty passageways to a central chamber. Emily gasped with a mixture of fear and wonder. Sitting in a chair suspended from the ceiling was a menacing looking robot with what looked to be Tyrannosaurus Rex parts on him. He was looking into a crystal ball-like computer screen. He looked up when he heard Emily gasp.

"What is the meaning of this?" he demanded of Tarantulas, turning away from the orb and glaring first at Emily then the spider 'bot.

"Forgive me, Megatron. This human came through the transwarp driver portal before I could send a probe. The power levels were too great and it short-circuited when she stumbled through. It will take me some time to repair it," Tarantulas reported.

"How much time?" Megatron demanded.

"At least, several weeks. At most, about two months," Tarantulas replied.

_Two months!_ Her mouth fell open and she stared in horror at the spider.

Megatron sighed with frustration. "Very well... Bring the human to me," he commanded.

Tarantulas stepped onto a small hovering platform and signaled for Emily to follow. She tentatively stepped forward. She gulped when she looked down and saw the large lava pit bellow.

"You won't fall," he whispered then, once she was on, steered the platform to Megatron. He briefly observed the human girl.

"What is your name?" he asked her, seeming to have cooled down a little from the earlier disappointment. She bit her lip and fidgeted uncomfortably. "Well?" he prompted.

Emily thought she could feel Megatron's and Tarantulas's stares piercing her heart as if they knew what her name was but wanted her to admit it. She wanted to disappear and hide in a small, cool place and cry. It was rather hot in the ship.

Megatron's mood suddenly switched to a gentler one. "Oh come now, you must have a name," he said. Emily was taken aback a little. She didn't expect such an attitude to come from someone that looked so... sinister.

She came up with an excuse. "I don't normally... give my name to people I meet without my parents."

"Very well," Megatron sighed and turned back to Tarantulas. "I assume you explained our situation to her?"

"Yes, Megatron," Tarantulas answered.

"Very good, yes. The human will need a place to stay until you can repair the transwarp driver. Show her to her quarters," Megatron commanded.

"Yes, Megatron," Tarantulas repeated. He then turned the platform toward another section of the ship, a narrow hallway lined with doors. They got off the platform and Tarantulas led Emily to a door that looked just like all the other doors in the hallway.

"I'll leave you here," he told her then walked away.


	3. Day One

**#3 - Day One**

Emily watched Tarantulas leave before examining the door. She took a step nearer but jumped back in surprise when it opened automatically. She shook her head at herself and stepped inside, looking around and walking toward a small desk. She looked back just in time to see the door hiss shut.

It was a pretty bland and small room, about 12" by 10" feet. There was only one bed. She glanced at it, running her fingers on the smooth surface of the desk. It didn't look much better than the room, it didn't even have a mattress.

"At least I still have a sleeping bag," she mumbled as she let her backpack slide off her back to the floor and set her purple lunch bag on the desk. She un-strapped her dark blue sleeping bag, placed it on the bed and smoothed it out. She went back to her backpack, unzipped it, and pulled out her favorite sleeping companion, Squishy the purple crocodile, and set him on the bed where her head would be when she laid down.

Emily wasn't hungry at the moment and the sun had begun to set when she and Tarantulas were traveling so she decided to try and sleep.

The only clothes that were in her backpack were a few changes of underwear, her pajamas that said "sassy kitty" on them with pictures of Marie from Disney's "Aristocats", and her red tropical flower and humming bird print swim suit along with her tooth brush, a travel size bottle of environment friendly shampoo and body wash, and a tiny tube of toothpaste. Her other clothes and essentials and pillow had been in her suitcase that her dad had been carrying.

She quickly changed into her pjs and lay down, staring up at the ceiling and playing the events of the passed two hours over and over again in her mind.

_How is this even possible?_ she wondered._ I must be dreaming, but..._ _it seems so real. Or like something out of a science fiction movie. Man... Am I lucky or what! Hey, I brought my diary, didn't I? I should write this down._

So she got up and went to her still unzipped pack and pawed around her sketch pad, blue plastic recorder, mini tackle box, collapsible fishing rod, her iPod and its solar powered charger that Carlos had designed just for her, and her Uno Attack game rig. Then, she felt what she was looking for.

"Bingo!" she whispered and pulled out her diary. It was beige with a lavender stripe along the flap that held it closed. She sat down at the desk, opened her diary and turned to the first blank page after her last entry. She took the pen from the cover flap and wrote the date of when she last remembered it being on Earth.

This is what she wrote:

_7/24/2009_

_Dear Diary,_

_Something unbelievable happened to me today. As I was with dad, Ken, and the Lopezs on the Rocky Mountains, some sort of a portal opened up and sucked me to another planet. It seems very similar to Earth but, for all I know, I could be anywhere in the universe or time._

_But I am not alone. There is an alien race called 'Transformers' and they do just that. From what I'm told, there are two sides; Predacons and Maximals. I am with the Predacons. So far, they have been agreeable to me and given me a place to stay. One called Tarantulas is working on a way to send me home. My only fear is that I might die of starvation if the heat doesn't kill me first._

_This is going to be a __long__ summer._

She finished and read through her entry several times. The more she read it through, the sillier this whole thing sounded. Never the less, she slid the pen back on and closed the flap. She put the book back in her pack and laid back down on her bed, rolling onto her stomach. She closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep.

Right when she was almost asleep, she heard two muffled voices in the hallway. One sounded buzzy, maybe like how a fly or bee might sound if it could talk. The other sound squawky, almost like a parrot.

"Did Terrorsaur hear about fleshy bot Zzpider-bot bring back?" the buzzy voice said.

"Yeah, I wonder why it wouldn't give its name, especially to Megatron. Pretty gutsy if you ask me," the squawky voice replied.

Emily stayed quiet, listening. She was slightly flattered by the squawky voice's comment. _I wonder what he looks like..._

"Wazpinator zzurprized Megatron didn't yell at it," the buzzy voice stated.

"Yeah. Hey, I just thought of something; we can't call it 'it' or 'hey you' forever, can we?" the squawky voice commented.

"But fleshy bot won't be here forever. Zpider-bot fixing warp drive to zzend it back," the buzzy voice answered.

"'Transwarp' drive bug face!" retorted the squawky voice. There was a 'thunk' and a pained noise from the buzzy voice.

"Well, I'm drained. See ya later," the squawky voice said. There was the sound of movement and at least two doors opening and closing, from which side of the hallway, Emily couldn't tell. Several minutes later, she could hear a faint snoring.

"Ahh," she sighed. "Just like at home when daddy snores. This might not be so bad after all." She closed her eyes and tried to get sleepy again. Soon, she was in a light dose, not even dreaming.

-x-

The next morning, Emily woke to a hallow feeling in her gut and needing to use the restroom. She yawned, stretched, and changed into the clothes she had on the day before; a rainbow tie-dye t-shirt and jeans with worn knees.

Sitting at the desk, she opened her lunch bag and poured out its contents; a whole peanut butter sandwich, a bottle of water, a bag of crunchy Cheetos, an apple, three peanut butter cookies, and a few dozen mini Hershey bars. She sighed.

"Some breakfast," she murmured and took the baggy with the sandwich. She ate a few bites and decided to save what she could to make it last as long as possible. She decided to eat the apple when everything else was gone. After eating half of one of the cookies, she took one sip of water.

She was tempted to eat one of the chocolate bars but thought better of it. The last thing she wanted was a migraine of some kind.

Mustering up her courage, she left the safety of her temporary room and looked up and down the hallway. Emily stood there for a long time wondering which way to go or even if she should go.

Suddenly, a robot that looked like he could transform into a scorpion came up to her. "You, human," he said in a gruff tone. She flinched.

"Y-yes?" she squeaked, taking a step back.

"Megatron wants to see you," he ordered and began walking away. Hurriedly, Emily followed after him, trying to keep up his pace. In a matter of moments, the scorpion robot had led her to the control room she had been in last night. There, she saw Megatron and two new robots. One looked like a green wasp and the other was red. She couldn't tell exactly what he could transform into yet. And he didn't look too happy about something.

Megatron looked up when Emily and the scorpion robot entered. "Hello again, my nameless guest. I do hope your rest was fitful." he greeted.

"Um, yes, th-thank you, sir." she answered, not meeting his gaze and putting her hands behind her back. Something about Megatron just gave her the creeps.

"Excellent, yes. I would like you to meet your guardians," Megatron then motioned toward the two robots at his side. The red one had his arms crossed and was glaring at her. She smiled nervously but that didn't do anything to change his stance.

"Waspinator and Terrorsaur will take care of your needs until you are able to leave," Megatron said this with an almost smug tone and kept giving the red one looks. The red one Emily was now assuming was Terrorsaur, as the other one could only be _Wasp_inator, would return his leader's looks with a slight bearing of his teeth.

_What's got him so riled up?_ she wondered but she nodded. "Thanks...?" was all she could say.

"Yes, yes, now go and get to know one another better," Megatron said this with a nearly sly smile and watched as Terrorsaur's features stiffened in anger. But he and Waspinator came over to her. Scorponok left.

They just stared at each other, the girl still holding her hands behind her back and not meeting either of their gazes. Waspinator seemed more nervous than anything else. Why he was nervous in front of a human girl, nobody knew. Terrorsaur still had his arms crossed and his optics narrowed. He was not happy about this.

Megatron had ordered him and the wasp to watch over the nameless girl. How could he do this to him! He was the best flyer the Predacon leader had! He was **not** meant to play babysitter for a fleshbag girl!

"So..." she finally spoke. "Y-you're Terrorsaur and Waspinator, right?"

_Well,_ Terrorsaur thought sarcastically. _At least she's not as dumb as I first concluded._ "That's right. And you are...?"

Emily bit her lip. It seemed unfair that she knew their names and they not know hers. Well, no going back now. Who knows what that Megatron would say or do to her if she told these guys and not him. "I-I'd rather not say," she replied, turning slightly red.

"Why fleshy bot not give name?" Waspinator wondered.

"Because... my parents didn't give me permission to," she answered.

"Well your parents aren't here and we can't call ya 'hey you' all the time," Terrorsaur retorted.

She couldn't argue with that but she got an idea, though, she hated it. "What did Waspinator call me?" she asked reluctantly.

"Fleshy bot." the wasp answered.

"I'm not gonna call you that!" Terrorsaur exclaimed. "Just give us a name and live with it."

Emily winced at his outburst. Was everyone around here this snappy? But they both seemed nice enough. "Just call me 'kid'," she finally said. "Just about every other adult I know does."

"Wazzpinator still call you fleshy bot."

"Uh-"

Terrorsaur sighed, exasperated. "Okay then, _kid_, what do you want us to do?" He dreaded this question.

She thought for a moment before replying. "There is one thing... but first, I, uh, want to, um... go outside. I need to, erm... take care of something..."

-x-

"Why exactly do you not want us to watch you when you go in there?" Terrorsaur questioned, indicating to the forest they were standing just outside of.

Emily looked down at her shoes nervously. She _really_ had to go now but wanted to at least keep a shred of her dignity. "Because..." she started slowly. "Because, that's what you're supposed to do."

Her answer was met with two blank stares. She knew it was stupid. There was an awkward silence before Terrorsaur spoke again.

"And you expect us to believe that you won't try and run away?"

She glared at him, insulted that he would be stupid enough to think that. "And _you_ expect me to run away from the only protection I have against wild animals and the Maximals?" she retorted.

"Fleshy bot right," Waspinator agreed.

"Shut up," Terrorsaur growled, glaring at the wasp then turned back to their charge. "Fine. Just... do whatever you need to do." he hissed.

"Thank you," Emily said then turned and walked seemingly boldly into the trees. The two fliers watch before they looked at each other then faced the other way.

Waspinator sat down and studied the bugs that were crawling among the grass. Terrorsaur just stood where he was and glared hardly at the clouds above the horizon. He would glance behind him into the shadows of the trees just to be defiant. He couldn't see anything but plant life but he could still detect the human's heat signature close by.

In a matter of minutes, she came back. "See? I didn't try to run away."

Terrorsaur grunted and transformed to his beast mode. "Come on."

Waspinator looked up from poking at a beetle. "Wazpinator want to take fleshy bot thizz time," he begged.

Emily grimaced. She had watched the way the wasp flew and saw he was very jerky, constantly going up and down without warning. She might fall off of him. "Um, sorry but I'd rather ride with Terrorsaur," she said and took a few uncertain steps toward said mech.

Slightly hurt, Waspinator sigh and went beast mode. She felt guilty for refusing his request but Terrorsaur flew very smoothly and she felt comfortable on him. "Sorry," she murmured again as Terrorsaur reluctantly lowered enough for the girl to get on.

-x-

Once they were back at the base, Emily suggested that they give her a tour so she could find her way around. Terrorsaur agreed but Waspinator insisted that he carry her around since he didn't get to on the way back.

She rolled her eyes and Terrorsaur shook his head. Never the less, she said he could as long as she sat on his shoulders. This made the wasp very happy and, once she was settled on his shoulders, Terrorsaur led the way.

-x-

At the end of the day, Emily's head hurt. You see, Waspinator wasn't as careful as he should have been when he was walking hence causing her bonk her head... several times in the same place.

She tenderly rubbed the slightly swelling area and groaned. Terrorsaur really seemed to be warming up to her even if he wouldn't admit it. She noticed this during the several games of Uno Attack they played after the tour when he seemed to start playing for the challenge of it rather than winning. He was a lot of fun when he was in a good mood.

Right now, Emily could hardly keep her eyes open. She didn't know how late it was but she really didn't care. Here, she could stay up as late as she wanted and do just about anything she wanted. And that meant falling asleep with her head phones on and the music blaring.

But no. All she felt like doing was sleeping. She sighed as she rolled onto her stomach, Squishy under her chin. Today had been an interesting day and defiantly a memorable one. She couldn't wait to go back and tell everyone about this. She wondered if they would believe her.

That was her last thought before she fell asleep.


	4. Ups and Downs

**#4 - Ups and Downs**

Tarantulas approached Megatron in his personal quarters. The Predacon leader was kicking back in his personal hot tub/C.R. tank. "Megatron," the spider began. "The human is currently sleeping. Now would be a good time to initiate the plan."

Megatron opened a single magenta optic. "Not just yet, my good spider," he said. "I wish to observe out guest a while longer."

-x-

The next morning, Emily woke up and ate a few more bites of her sandwich, the last of her chips, and half of the second peanut butter cookie. Her stomach complained for more but she couldn't do that unless she wanted to completely starve.

Wait, she had her fishing set with her, didn't she? She could fish and get food that way. She'd cleaned fish before and there had to be some on this planet. "Now if I could convince Terrorsaur and Waspinator to help me..." she thought out loud. "But first, I need a bath." She ran her fingers through her greasy hair.

-x-

Emily stuck her head into the room that Terrorsaur said they would most likely be in the mornings. There were two couches in one corner, several tables in the center and off to the sides of the room, and a machine that looked sort of like a beverage vending machine only it didn't have money slots or a picture on the front. Instead, there were two rows of multicolored buttons and a key pad of some kind off to the right.

She cocked her head, wondering what that machine was for.

"Hey there, kid."

Emily squeaked, jumping and whirling around to see Terrorsaur and Waspinator coming towards her. Her frightened expression morphed into a happier one. "Hey guys," she greeted.

"Why Fleshy-bot here before uzz?" Waspinator asked as they passed her.

"I just felt like getting up," She shrugged as she followed them inside and stood by one of the tables. She watched as the two in turn punched in a code on the key pad and a green light flashed above it. They then pushed one of the colored buttons and an iridescent, glowing cube appeared at the dispenser near the bottom. The fliers each took their cubes and went to a table near the door.

Emily followed them again but was unsure weather she should sit with them or go back to her room until they were done. Terrorsaur noticed her tentativeness. "We won't bite you today," he teased.

She laughed a little nervously and sat down across from him but next to Waspinator. "Thanks but, uh, forgive me if this seems like a stupid question but... what are you drinking?"

Waspinator was currently chugging down the glowing liquid in his cube so Terrorsaur answered. "Energon," he said. "I suppose it's our equivalent to human food." He then took a drink of his own cube before stopping and looking back at her. "Wait. You have food, right?"

"Yes," she replied quickly, not liking the interrogating look he was giving her. That look changed to one of relief. "But I'm going to need more pretty soon." she added.

Waspinator finally set down his empty cube and entered the conversation. "What Fleshy-botz eat?" he asked.

"Uh..." Emily then saw her chance. "Fish. I eat fish," she answered. "But I have to catch it first and I'm going to need some help with that."

Terrorsaur raised an optic ridge. "Can't you catch it yourself? It's not that hard."

"I can only catch one at a time," she pointed out. "But I don't really need it today. What I do need to go outside again."

He sighed, rolling his optics. "Why do you need to go outside so much?"

"Number one, it's very hot in this ship. Number two, I'm a human. Humans like to be outside..."

-x-

Before the three left, Emily went to change into her swimming suit, putting her jeans and tee shirt on over that, and grabbed the two travel bottles of soap and shampoo and putting them in her pockets. Once they were on their way, she said that she wanted to go to a lake or pond this time.

Her request was only met with a grumble of annoyance and something about Megatron being a glitch head.

Finally, Terrorsaur landed on the shore of beautiful, picturesque lake, backed by a majestic mountain range. She smiled, looking all around. She turned back just in time to see the two fliers transform to their robotic forms. "This place is great!" she exclaimed and promptly sat down and pulled her shoes and socks off. She then flipped off her shirt, stood up, and pulled down her pants, leaving nothing but her swimming suit. She took the bottles of soap and shampoo out of her jean pockets and wadded into the crystal clear water.

Terrorsaur and Waspinator just stood there and stared at her while she stripped her clothes. What exactly was she doing? They looked at each other for a second before they heard the sound of splashing. They turned back to see the girl swimming around in the water. She giggled, diving beneath the surface and bobbing back up. She waved to them.

"What're you two standing around for? Come on in!"

Waspinator's face lit up. He cackled and ran to the shore and did a belly flop, the wake causing a wave that pushed Emily out a few feet. The two laughed when the wasp broke back to the surface.

Terrorsaur was stunned. He didn't want to make a bigger fool out of himself than he already had, playing games with this human and even beginning to actually connect to this kid. Thinking on this made him frown. He snapped his attention to them when she called to him.

"Hey Terrorsuar, you coming?"

He suppressed a growl. "No," he answered.

"Oh c'mon," she whined. "You guys told me yourself that you don't rust _that_ easily."

"Fleshy-bot right," Waspinator added.

"Nobody asked you, bug face!" Terrorsaur snapped, already reaching back for his blaster.

Emily saw this. "Hey! Hey! No violence!" she yelled, waving her arms over her head but stopped. "Alright, if you don't wanna come in, fine. Waspinator can drop me," She then looked at the wasp and winked. He looked at her for a moment, wondering what she was talking about.

Terrorsaur snorted, going and sitting on a nearby rock, and crossed his arms.

When Emily pointed up with her thumb then splashed the water with her hand, Waspinator got the idea. He grabbed her around the waist and flew up out of the lake a good twenty feet up.

"Whoa whoa whoa! Move a little over a deeper spot," she said.

He did so. "Fleshy-bot be alright?" he asked.

"I'll be fine." She waved it off. "I do this all the time at the public pool."

"Okay," He then let her go. She screamed out of shock for a second but it quickly turned to one of delight and terror at the same time. She was silenced when she hit the water.

After a few seconds of waiting and still no sign of her, Waspinator went down to the surface. "F-fleshy-bot?" he stammered, putting his hand in the water and feeling around. All of a sudden, he was drenched by a splash. He was so startled that he fell backwards into the water. When he surfaced, he saw the girl laughing.

"That was priceless!" she snickered.

Terrorsaur, who had been watching, rolled his optics. However, he was amused by watching them.

They spent the rest of the day at the lake. Around the time the sun began to set, they went back to base. Soon after that, Emily went to bed, hungry.

-x-

"Uno!" Emily said when she placed a yellow four on the deck. She, Terrorsaur, and Waspinator where playing her Uno Attack game for the umpteenth time since she'd first suggested it. Waspinator just loved it.

The wasp ended up with a large percentage of the deck... again. He never seemed to get any blue cards. Terrorsaur shifted nervously even though he only had three cards left.

It was the day after Emily's 'bath' and so far, she had won the last game and Terrorsaur had won the first. If Emily won this one, they would take her out fishing. If either Terrorsaur or Waspinator won, Emily would get a first hand experience at free falling and then they would go fishing.

It was Waspinator's turn. He looked through his hand for a playable card and put down a green four. Terrorsaur slowly put down a green one and glared at Emily, using his best menacing poker face. She growled and pushed the button. About seven cards shot out of the rig. She hastily gathered them.

"Aw snap!" she hissed as she arranged the cards into categories. _Ah, a rotate hands card! I'll save this for later,_ she schemed. Waspinator placed a green seven then Terrorsaur placed a red seven.

"Uno!" He waved his last card side to side tauntingly, smirking. Emily narrowed her eyes. She placed a blue seven. Waspinator moaned and pressed the button. Thankfully for him, only four cards came out... but one got stuck in his wrist joint.

"Doi!" He shook his hand vigorously, trying to dislodge the card. Terrorsaur snickered then looked at his card.

"Slag!" he grumbled and pressed the button. Only two cards came out.

"Nya nya," He waved his three cards side to side tauntingly, smirking again. Emily smiled slyly and held out her blue rotate hands card.

"Nya nya," She stuck out her tongue.

"No!" he screeched.

"Yes," Emily held out her hand for Terrorsaur to hand her his cards as she put down the switch hands card with the other. He reluctantly gave them to her and took Waspinator's cards.

"Thank you," she said in a singsong tone and gave Waspinator her cards. She observed her new hand. _All yellow, now that's interesting..._ she thought. Waspinator put down a blue two and Terrorsaur put down a blue six. Emily placed a yellow six and waited for Waspinator. He placed a yellow eight and held his last five cards tightly. Terrorsaur placed a yellow three.

Emily smiled smugly and said, "Uno!" after she placed another yellow three. Terrorsaur looked to Waspinator hopefully but he shrugged and placed a red three. Terrorsaur moaned as he put down a red nine, the only playable card he had.

"Yes! I win!" she shouted as she slammed her last card, a yellow nine, on the table.

"Aw slaggit!" Terrorsaur tossed his cards on the table and crossed his arms.

"This is a fine kettle of fish, wouldn't you say?" she teased, narrowing her hazel eyes impishly.

"It might not be zzo bad," Waspinator tried to help but Terrorsaur drew out his blaster and that was the end of that.

"Yeah, it's very relaxing," she said as she got up and went to her room to get her fishing things. On the way, she got the feeling that she was being watched. She just assumed that Terrorsaur was glaring at her.

Oh, how wrong she was...

-x-

Tarantulas, in beast mode, watched from the ceiling and laughed evilly as the three left the base.

"Finally! The plan shall be put into full motion," he chuckled to himself. He silently dropped to the floor and made his way to the girl's quarters, a strange silvery liquid substance in hand, or leg. Whatever works for his situation. He snuck inside, Terrorized, and searched through her things, being careful not to move them too much.

_There must be something I can combine this with... Ahh!_ He discovered Emily's still untouched stash of mini Hershey bars. They were slightly melted now, because of the heat of the lava a ways bellow the floor. He took one and partially opened the wrapper. He carefully let some of the liquid drip and dissolve into the chocolate.

"Excellent! Now, for the rest," he hissed triumphantly.

-x-

"You were right kid, this is relaxing," Terrorsaur admitted as he leaned back against a tree.

"What'd I tell you? Waspinator's enjoying himself too," Emily replied as she glanced at the green mech, who had fallen asleep again.

So far, all the three had caught was some fresh air and a few Zs. Emily sighed and reeled in her line once again. _Still nothing... What'll I do if we don't catch anything?_ she wondered.

-x-

The sun was getting low in the sky and Emily was getting hungrier. Those Hershey bars were starting to call her name. She shifted her position. "Do you think we should be heading back now?" she asked, looking at Terrorsaur. He just shrugged.

"Wazzpinator agree with Fleshy-bot," he said, setting his stick for a pole down and getting up.

Emily rolled her eyes. She didn't like being called 'fleshy-bot' but she supposed that's what she got for not revealing her name. She sighed as she reeled in her line, threw away the untouched bate, and took the collapsible rod apart.

"Okay, you did what I wanted... we can do you want now. I'm bored anyway," she said to Terrorsaur as she stood up. "I hope you don't mind vice-grip hugs," she added.

Terrorsaur smirked, setting his rod down. "I hope you don't mind heights," he responded.

"You're just lucky I don't get motion sickness," she shot back, still smiling. She suddenly realized that she actually had nice beginnings of friendships going with these Predacons. She was beginning to want to stay and go with them to see their home planet but she knew that that would be impossible plus she was getting homesick.

"Waspinator! You ready yet?" Terrorsaur snapped. Waspinator looked back but tripped over his stick and fell.

Terrorsaur grumbled. "Quit fooling around and let's go. Beast mode!" he commanded and transformed. "Climb aboard," he told Emily.

"Okay, but what about the stuff?" she asked.

"Eh, Waspinator will get it. Now let's go!" Terrorsaur dismissed the question with a flap of his wings.

She looked back as she climbed onto Terrorsaur's back. _Poor guy..._ She felt sorry for poor Waspinator, always getting smacked, bumping into things, tripping and loosing pieces of himself. _It's a wonder that he's still alive... or should I say functional?_

"Just don't hold on too tightly," Terrorsaur requested, jerking Emily from her thoughts.

"That depends on if _you_ make me slip or not," she made her comeback, narrowing her eyes and grinning. She learned a lot of these things from Carlos, her best friend's dad. The thought of her friends and family wiped the smile from her face temporarily. She sighed. "Let's make this quick 'cause I've got an appointment with my store of chocolate bars."

Terrorsaur paused before he took off. "What's a 'chocolate bar'?"

-x-

When Terrorsaur, Emily, and Waspinator finally reached the base, Emily was quite dizzy. She managed to regain her balance and thanked Terrorsaur and Waspinator for playing with her.

"Eh, don't mention it kid," Terrorsaur said then walked away.

Waspinator handed her stuff back. Emily nodded her appreciation then went to her room and flopped on the bed.

"Ow!" She forgot there was no mattress. She sat up and rubbed her lower back. _Well, this ship was designed for robots so I guess they don't need cushioning,_ she thought as she reached for her lunch bag. She opened it and took out six of the small, bite-sized bars.

Emily unwrapped one, popped it in her mouth, and let it melt on her tongue. She let it turn to a thick liquid before swallowing, savoring the flavor. She ate the other four the same way but when she swallowed the sixth one, she wasn't feeling so good.

"Agh... never eat chocolate on an empty stomach... Hope this isn't a migraine," she moaned and lied down. In a matter of minutes, the pain began to spread. The unnerving thing was it didn't just go down her bowels. It went through her arms, legs, and up her back. She groaned and convulsed. She felt like she was going to vomit so she got up to try and get out side. Before she could even reach the door to her room, the strange pain reached her head. It was too much!

"Aragh!" Emily screamed as she fell to her knees then passed out. She hit the floor not with a 'thud' but a 'clunk'.


	5. A New Identity

**#5 - A New Identity**

When Emily came to, she was in no pain anymore but something just wasn't right. She was sprawled on the floor, her eyes closed and her teeth clenched, but something besides her insides felt funny. Come to think of it, her clothes didn't feel quite right either.

When she moved her hand towards her head, she heard a strange sound that reminded her of motors. She opened her eyes and saw her hand, although a bit blurred before they focused... and she could zoom in and analyze.

She gasped and raised her other hand then felt her face. It was smooth and stiff. She sat up and examined herself, hardly breathing (or would that even be the proper term now?) She screamed.

-x-

Terrorsaur, Scorponok, and Tarantulas came to where they thought the scream came from to see what was wrong. They found a black and silver protoform femme with steel blue highlights on her back staring blankly at the ceiling with stunning aqua green optics. The weird thing about her was that she was wearing the clothes of the human girl that was staying with them.

"What's going on here?" Scorponok demanded, very confused. There were no femmes among them, or the Maximals for that matter, as far as he knew.

Terrorsaur just stared from the doorway, also very confused. Who was this femme and why was she in his charge's clothes?

"If it's who I think it is..." Tarantulas muttered. Smiling smugly inwardly, he addressed the femme. "Are you the human female?"

She didn't say anything. She just lay stunned on the floor, not even daring to blink. Tarantulas took a hand held scanner from his subspace and kneeled beside her. She didn't even seem aware of his presence.

After a moment of scanning, he spoke. "Fascinating... It appears that she has somehow been turned into a Transformer." he said to his comrades in the door way then turned back to the femme. "Tell me, have you touched or ingested anything abnormal?"

She still didn't respond. She just closed her optics and desperately wished that this was all just some sick nightmare and she would wake up any minute now... any minute...

"I know you can still speak, ex-human." Tarantulas stated.

Now that got her attention.

"_Ex_-human?" She sat up suddenly and stared the spider straight in the face. "Are you saying that I'll never be myself again?"

"I didn't say that-"

"You were thinking it."

"No, I was not. Now tell me what you were doing before this happened so that I might be able to reverse-" Tarantulas began to ask of her again but Megatron suddenly interrupted.

"Tarantulas! What is going on here?" he bellowed. Terrorsaur and Scorponok had stood aside to let their leader stand in the doorway.

"The human has somehow been turned into one of our kind," Tarantulas explained simply.

Megatron's optics narrowed. "How is this possible?" he asked.

"I am not sure, she isn't saying anything." Tarantulas answered.

Emily finally gave in. If she told them what she knew, maybe they'd leave her alone and get her back to normal. "All I did was eat some candy a friend gave me before I got teleported here. Happy now?" she said heatedly. Not waiting for an answer, she went on with, "Now can I have a little privacy?" She scooted back away from the others, optics narrowed in irritation.

Megatron narrowed his own optics even further. "As you wish, but when you're done, come to the main control room so that you may receive a beast mode."

Emily gawked at him. "What?" she exclaimed.

"Do as you're told, yes." With that, Megatron left the room, beckoning for the others to follow. Terrorsaur gave a backward glance as he left. He couldn't believe what had happened to his charge. How was such a thing possible?

When the door closed behind them, Emily sighed, slumping back to the floor and gazing at the ceiling once again. Just when things couldn't get any worse, _this_ happens. She gets turned into a completely different species with absolutely no idea what she really is and no clue how to take care of herself!

But moping around never solved anything. "Okay Emily, you got this. It's just, uh... just an extreme make-over... yeah." she mumbled and shakily stood up. She turned and looked at her foggy reflection in the door and slightly jumped back at the sight of her new self. She stepped closer, her optics locked with the ones in the reflection. Slowly, she reached out a hand and touched that of the blurred mirror image.

She drew her hand back and looked down at herself and sighed. She then carefully pulled off her shirt and bra then slipped off her sneakers, socks, jeans, and underwear. Folding her clothes and setting them on her bed, she turned back to the door and looked herself over again. She made a face as she studied her 'bare' body. The design on the metal plating looked like she was wearing a black and blue bikini with black knee high boots, black elbow length gloves, and some kind of helmet with a wing-like ornament on either side. The rest of her body was silver colored.

She thought she looked silly, like she was wearing a costume, but knew she couldn't take it off.

Pushing a button by the door to open it, she stuck her head out and looked up and down the hallway. Nobody. Gradually, she came completely out of her room and walked down the hall. She felt very awkward and exposed without her clothes but she technically didn't need them anymore... right? Oh she hoped she wasn't naked in their terms.

Soon, she came to the main control room. Megatron and Tarantulas were there. No one else. Where did they go? Perhaps Megatron had sent them away while he took care of this situation. She softly cleared her throat to let him know she had come, arms protectively around her chest as she nervously shifted from foot to foot.

Megatron glanced over and looked her up and down, expertly hiding his growing smile of satisfaction. Everything was going according to plan... "Quickly now before the energon fields build up and over load your systems," he said, motioning for her to go to Tarantulas.

Emily stepped onto one of those hover pads and did so. The spider moved aside so that she could see the screen on the monitor he was at. There were dozens of animal images shown. She looked at him questioningly.

"Pick one," he hissed.

Gulping slightly, she looked back at the screen and scrolled through all the animals. There were reptiles, birds, big cats, dog like creatures, other mammals, insects, and a few dinosaurs. She certainly had a lot to choose from but she had to hurry. The puma and the fox caught her attention as well as the ovirapter and praying mantis. Also, several of the birds looked tempting... Hmm... birds, flying...

_I think I'd like to fly,_ she decided, automatically narrowing down her decisional spectrum. Within seconds, she had it down to either the red tailed hawk or golden eagle.

Just when she was going to point to the hawk, another bird captured her optic. The raven. Yeah, perfect for her current features. She pointed to the raven and Tarantulas selected it as well as typed in a few more things.

"Now get in that C.R. tank," he directed.

Emily nodded, taking the instructions without question. She stepped up onto the pad and soon, it lowered her into the tank. She shivered at how cold the fluid was but a few seconds later, she was put temporarily offline.

-x-

"Did the nanites work properly?" Megatron inquired Tarantulas.

"Yes, quite ingeniously I might add. Scans indicate she is fully functional." the scientist spider answered with one of his trade marked cackles. "Preparing to delete subject's memory files now."

"Wait," Megatron said quickly. Tarantulas glared back at him questioningly. "I wish to see how she will do as she is."

"But-"

"Do as I say."

Tarantulas growled quietly and turned back to the screen, activating the replicating sequence that would apply the beast form to her main frame. _So much for my little 'extra phase' to the plan... Oh well, I'm certain another opportunity will present itself sooner or later._

-x-

When she finally reactivated her optics, blinking away the C.R. fluid, she looked back down at herself. She found that she had more detailing. She also saw a raven's head made up the front of her upper body. She moved her hands up the sides of her face and felt a row of sleek feathers as well as a line down the back of her head or helm and across the top of her helm.

What really shocked her was when she went to look at her back. There were her raven wings, just sitting daintily on where her shoulder blades should be. A small smile beamed upon her face and a little giggle escaped her. Despite loosing her humanity, this was pretty awesome. Concentrating, she bit her lower lip and willed her new wings to twitch. After a moment or two, they succumbed to her will and folded against her back. Her smile brightened.

That's when she thought about seeing Terrorsaur and Waspinator fly without being in beast mode so she tried it. She closed her optics and thought hard. _Hover. Hover... Hover._ When she didn't feel the C.R. tank platform below her feet, she opened on optics and her smile brightened further. Maybe being an alien robot wasn't so bad.

But this little moment didn't last long.

"I'm sure this is a fascinating experience for you, ex-human, but Megatron is waiting." Tarantulas interrupted, still standing by the C.R. tank controls.

Emily's smile disappeared as she nodded then carefully and a bit unsteadily flew to where Megatron was watching in his command chair. She hovered in front of him and straightened up.

He looked her over approvingly. For an instant, she saw something glint in his optics but only for a second. She refrained from staring curiously "Very good... I suppose I can safely assume that you have no prior battle experience?" he said.

"That's correct, sir." she replied clearly, her voice level.

"And you still will not reveal your name to me?" He raised an optic ridge.

"No, sir." She bowed her head to hide her now metallic face.

"I see," he muttered then spoke louder and in a commanding tone. "In any case, now would be the customary time to change your designation."

She thought for a moment, biting her lip. She didn't want to change her name but figured it didn't fit her anymore. She thought of the names of the other Transformers she was told about, the Maximals, how they sounded and came up with a combo that she thought suited her.

_I hope I made the right choice,_ Emily thought anxiously. "Starfeather," she voiced her decision, hoping it didn't sound stupid, too girly, or unoriginal.

Megatron narrowed an optic, half smiling inwardly, but continued. "Well then, Starfeather, since you have no battle experience, you will need training. And since Dinobot has left us to join those retched Maximals," he said this darkly then became authoritative once again. "I shall train you personally, yes. We begin tomorrow before sunrise. Understood?"

"Yes, sir." she answered.

"I like your respect, Starfeather. You are dismissed," he stated with a wave of his hand.

Emily, now Starfeather, gave a salute then turned and flew to her quarters. When she entered her room and locked the door, she turned and looked around. All her things, though not many, were still where she had last left them. She leaned against the door and slid to the floor with a noisy sigh. She then put her arms on her knees and her head on her arms. "I have some serious thinking to do..." she mumbled

After several minutes, turning up nothing promising, she decided to record this event in her diary. She went and sat at the desk, taking out her book, and began writing.

Here is what she wrote:

_Date N/A_

_Dear Diary,_

_I'm not myself anymore. I don't know what happened to me but, somehow, I've become like these Predacons._

_I __am__ a Predacon._

_I am what they are, a Transformer. My name now is Starfeather. I desperately hope that Tarantulas can make something to change me back. Mom and dad would freak if I came home like this, not to mention the government might be all over me. I'll bet anything they'd lock me away from everyone and I'd never see the light of day again._

_... I've been on this weird planet __way__ too long._

Starfeather put down her pen and sighed. Then, slowly, an optical fluid tear slid down her silvery cheek, leaving a slightly glowing trail. She suddenly shoved the book forward and crossed her arms on the desk and hid her face in them. She cried heartily, the full impact of what had happened finally hitting home.

Who was she kidding? She would never see her family again. Never see her friends again. Never see her home again. Never see herself again...

She felt utterly alone.

But someone was just outside her door, listening. He had been heading for his own quarters but he heard her crying and began to feel something, something he'd never felt before. Was it... sympathy... or something else?

He shook his head at himself and continued for his quarters.

-x-

Megatron was thinking to himself, still in the main control room. Their human guest had become quite a beautiful femme. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen someone of such slender and grace, if not a bit clumsy. She wasn't going anywhere any time soon so... why not have some fun with her? It's not like he hadn't claimed a femme for his own before. He found it rather enjoyable to watch and feel them squirm and plead for mercy, the sensations that made their pathetic attempts to defend themselves defiantly worth while.

Yes, he would do it. But not yet, no. He would wait until he could see that she had become comfortable with herself and learned the ropes.


	6. Chain of Command: New Routines

**#6 - Chain of Command: New Routines**

"Get up."

Nothing.

"Come on, get up."

A moan was all he got for a response.

"Get up now!"

This time, he earned a roll over and a mumble of something inaudible.

"Slaggit, wake up!"

A sigh. "Shudup Kenny..."

Scorponok finally got fed up and poked the black and silver femme, hard, in her side. "You're late for your training session. Megatron wants you up **now**," he stated.

At that, Starfeather's optics snapped online. She sat up, smacking the Second in the face with the back of her head, and nearly knocked him off his feet. She gasped with pain and surprise, whirling around to see him put his scorpion claw hands up to rub his stinging chin and cheek.

"Oh my stars! Are you alright? I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed.

"Just go see Megatron," he growled.

She stayed where she was for a second before hastily getting off her bed and exiting her room. She was jogging down the hallway to the main control room thinking, _I'm so dead,_ when she ran into Terrorsaur.

"Hey kid, what's the hurry?" he asked, stopping her.

"Can't talk, late for training session." she answered quickly.

"Well wait for a nano," Terrorsaur said as he grabbed her arm when she tried to run off again. "Lemme give you some tips."

"Okay," She stopped to listen. "I could use all the help I can get."

"Alright, listen good 'cause I'm only going to say this once," he began. "Number one, when you get out there, if he yells at you, agree with whatever he says and don't try to explain what took you so long. Two, do everything you're told the second he tells you and make sure you do it right. Three, don't ask questions unless he asks you if you have any and don't make them smart-aft ones. Finally, never show signs of weakness."

"Physical or mental?" she wondered.

"Both," he replied then shoved her on her way. "Now you can go."

She thanked her ex-guardian and ran the rest of the way to the control room. Terrorsaur watched her go and smirked to himself. "That girl's got spunk."

Meanwhile, Starfeather had just made it too the control room. Megatron looked up at hearing someone coming. He narrowed his optics when he saw the raven reach the door. "Where have you been?" he demanded but before she could even try to think of what to say or do, he continued. "I expect you to be more punctual in the future Starfeather, yes."

She straitened and stiffly saluted. "Yes, sir. I will, sir."

"Good. Now come," Megatron then turned and headed out of the base. Starfeather followed closely behind.

-x-

That evening, the newest Predacon was sore all over. Circuits and joints were hurting that she didn't even know she had. Before physical training, Megatron had her search herself to find her weapons. She had done her best but her computer told her was that she had a fuller charged blaster. No optical lasers or missiles like Terrorsaur, no sward like Dinobot, nothing.

And to top it off, Megatron hadn't allowed her to have her daily ration of energon until he said she was done training for the day. When he had let her go at about noon, he gave her a special code. It was her own personal code to use as a password to get into the computers and such, including the energon dispenser.

She had no idea what the colored buttons were for so she picked the blue one (blue anything was always good) and hoped for the best. As a matter of fact, it tasted akin to a berry cocktail. What made her cringe was that she could also pick out a flavor that tasted how crude oil smelled. She wondered what flavors the other colors possibly could be, hoping one might taste better than the one she picked, but she would have to wait until tomorrow.

Somewhat reenergized and not having been specified to do anything else, Starfeather went back to her quarters for a good, long recharge. But she couldn't get one thing off her mind. The more she saw of this planet, the more she thought that it looked so much like Earth. It could just be a coincidence but one can never tell...

-x-

"Hey, kid, nap time's over."

_... Not again..._ she thought and forced her aqua green optics open to see Terrorsaur leaning over her. Starfeather groaned. "I hate mornings..." she mumbled, trying to keep her optics open but failed.

"Oh no you don't," Terrorsaur said, taking her shoulders and pulling up her so she was sitting upright. Her head bobbed a little before resting on her chest. "Don't make me drag you." he threatened.

She groaned and weakly shoved him away. "A'right, a'right..." she murmured and stood up. "I'm going, see?" She then walked out of the room. He followed her closely.

"You should be grateful I'm saving your aft this morning," he muttered and pushed her on.

She hissed through her teeth. "I'll thank you when you stop shoving me," she growled.

He did and she did thank him. As a matter of fact, Terrorsaur had gotten her up just in time. Today, Megatron said that she must do strength training. First, Starfeather had to get in a position like she was going to do push-ups but instead, she had to transform to beast mode then right back to robot mode. She had to do these transform-ups repeatedly, over one hundred times. Her shifters screamed in pain but the motion became more fluid. After that, she had to run and fly laps around the base. At one point during one of her runs, she almost fell into a lava pool. This was worse than PE or gym...

Once the sun reached its mid point, Megatron allowed her to stop. She eagerly but exhaustedly went back inside the base but when she got into the cafeteria/lounge room, she was surprised to find her former guardians waiting there. "What are you guys doing here?" she asked.

Waspinator was the first one to answer. "Terrorsaur think uz zzhould wait for Bird-bot after she done training."

Terrorsaur cocked his head. "After all, we fliers should stick to together."

Starfeather was touched by their decision to wait for her every day until her training was complete. She smiled. "Thanks guys," she said as she sat with them. Thus she was officially accepted into the Predacon flier squadron and thus became the daily routine until her training was complete.

-x-

Starfeather had been with the Predacons for about a month now. She continued to train rather well with Megatron. She did learn quickly as he predicted. She could already aim at a moving target and basically work most of the scanners and shields and other base defenses. She also seemed to have a knack with repairing issues. And to top it off, she was on her first real mission with her team mates. It was to claim some energon found at a very familiar place. At least, to her.

"Stonehenge!" Starfeather breathed, seeing the place they were approaching. There were large block-like stones that were set up in a circle and a short "passage way" leading into it. There was some kind of rock mound in the center shaped like a rounded pyramid. She barely had time to admire it before Megatron spoke.

"Now Starfeather, get in formation with Waspinator and Terrorsaur."

Starfeather suppressed a sigh, disappointed that she couldn't admire the familiar sight more. "Yes, sir." She lifted herself with her wings from the ground beside him and stealthily hid behind one of the pillars across from Terrorsaur.

She was nervous about actually fighting with professionals. They certainly wouldn't go easy on her like the others did when she trained. What if she was hurt badly or killed! Wait, surely her team mates would leap to her defense before too much damage was inflicted. After all, that's what you do in a team. Not to mention she was still a rookie.

She watched as Megatron casually went and stood beneath one of the stone arches.

"How ever it got here, we must remove it before the Predacons do." She heard one of the Maximals say. He had a growly voice and she couldn't see who he was.

"Ah, Dinobot! That Predacon chip still ticks inside your traitorous hide!" Megatron stated rather calmly. "And I think we will take it! "No energon crystal too small," I always say." he said, giving the signal.

Waspinator went out first-

"Wazpinator: Terrorizze!"

Then Terrorsaur-

"Terrorsaur: Terrorize! Raawk!"

And then Starfeather-

"Starfeather: Terrorize! Cawcaaw!" she crowed. Her beast mode was a raven, after all. The primal call was most often unavoidable when she transformed after a long period of time. The trine then started blasting at the Maximals. She felt very wrong shooting at them, other living beings with a mind and heart, but she did what she was told lest she receive a beating. She grimaced each time she clipped someone, biting back an apology.

The Maximals ran for cover but Dinobot paused and stared at the raven, a shocked and angry and somehow sad expression on his face. In fact, all the Maximals were surprised to see the new Predacon. They kept giving Dinobot questionable looks as if there was something he hadn't told them since he joined them and were suspicious.

The two sides fought for about a minute before Optimus Primal went up to face the Pred fliers. Starfeather was terrified at the sight of him and hovered slightly behind Terrorsaur to vainly try and hide.

Optimus's expression softened ever so slightly at the sight of the terrified femme. She looked rather young to be fighting but then again, Cheetor was a little under aged for battle too. And where had she come from? No stasis pods had crashed yet and only six energy signatures were detected on the _Darkside_ when they scanned the ship as they gave chase. However, no matter her age or where she came from, Optimus had to keep the Predacons away from the precious energon so he fired at them.

Starfeather screamed in a natural reaction as the shots headed their way. She tightly closed her optics and shielded her head. She was hit in her right arm and knocked out of the sky. She landed hard on the ground, shaking with pain. Waspinator was blown back as well.

Megatron wasn't happy with Starfeather at all. He growled and bellowed, "Remember your training! Get up and fight like a Predacon!"

She immediately jumped back to her feet, a hand tightly gripping the sparking, bleeding wound. A glowing fluid mixed with black was slowly bubbling out from the jagged wound the shot had created. She dizzily glanced up to see Terrorsaur still hovering where they had been.

Terrorsaur made a split second decision to fire at the stones hiding the energon. He assumed that the battle was lost so he figured if they couldn't get it, nobody would. Unfortunately, Megatron wasn't too happy with him now either.

"Terrorsaur, you fool! You've released the crystal's energy. It's useless to us now! Back to base; beast mode!" he commanded.

With that, all the Predacons transformed and fled the scene, including Starfeather. However, she looked back at the standing stones when they had gone a good distance to assure herself that the Maximals weren't chasing them. What saw made her stop and turn to face that way with shock. "Megatron, look!" she squawked.

He stopped and looked back as well, along with the rest of them, to see some kind of energy beam coming from the center of the standing stones. Then came a blinding flash and it was gone.

"What was it, Megatron?" Scorponok asked his leader.

"Perhaps some kind of signal?" Tarantulas wondered aloud.

"Perhaps," Megatron contemplated this sight for a moment.

"If that was some kinda signal, who's it going to?" Starfeather asked.

No one had an answer.

-x-

Once the Maximals returned to base, they began to discus some matters. Matters like what that signal was and the other pressing issue which Rattrap so politely addressed. "All I know is dere's somethin' choppa face ain't telling us," he said, pointing an accusing finger at the velociraptor. "Like who dat femme is."

"Cool your circuits Rattrap," Optimus ordered then fingered his chin thoughtfully. "The question I'm more concerned about at the moment is where did she come from? No stasis pods have crashed yet and there were only six energy signatures detected on the _Darkside_."

"She couldn't've been here before us and ran into the Preds first, could she?" Cheetor asked.

"That is unlikely," Rhinox reasoned.

After listening to his comrades voice other possibilities he knew were false, Dinobot decided that he should tell them of Megatron's full intentions that only himself and Tarantulas knew. "I know where she came from," he spoke up.

Everyone turned to stare at him but he met the stares with a narrowing of his crimson optics and slight baring of his sharp teeth.

"Go on," Optimus urged.

The raptor paused before he did. "Megatron didn't want to come to planet Earth just to seek energon... he also planed to capture humans and turn them into drones and create an army to take over Cybertron."

"What! How could he do that?" both Cheetor and Rattrap exclaimed.

"Dinobot," Optimus turned to him urgently. "How long until Megatron continues with this plan?"

"He should be following through by now. I don't understand why he stopped with just one," he replied. "But that's not all that concerns me."

"What?" Cheetor couldn't help but ask.

"She seemed... afraid." Dinobot muttered.

Rattrap scoffed. "Hah, who wouldn't be?"

Dinobot growled at him but Optimus broke it up. "What makes that significant?" he questioned.

"Megatron intended to wipe the minds of these ex-humans and turn them into mindlessly loyal drones. Drones are not afraid. She was." the raptor explained.

"What should we do about this?" Rhinox asked the Maximal leader.

"Hmm..." Optimus hummed, thinking. "For know, we do nothing. Just keep a constant eye on power levels that radiate from the Predacon base. A device used to bring humans from across the universe must be pretty powerful."

-x-

The next day, in the evening, something began to fall from the sky. Megatron immediately assumed it was a stasis pod as he stood out side the Predacon base in beast mode, watching it.

"Flyer; incoming stasis pod," he called.

After a quick game of rock-paper-scissors, Waspinator answered Megatron's call. "Plot vector to crash point," Megatron commanded. Within minutes, they were on their way.

Starfeather was glad that she didn't have to go. Her arm was still weak from yesterday's battle and she was still shaken up, especially since she had gotten an audio full from Megatron when they had got back to base. She shuddered at the remembrance of the missile coming at her. "I don't like fighting..." she murmured, cradling her right arm.

Terrorsaur over heard this. "Well you'd better get used to it 'cause we're probably gonna be here fighting for a long time," he said, rather roughly.

"You don't have to rub it in, y'know," she snapped and stalked outside. She sat cross-legged on a flat rock and looked into the night sky. Of the two moons, the farthest one shone brightly. The one that was closer was only partly visible. The stars seemed so close that it seemed she could just pluck one out of the sky. But then it would be all alone in her hand and she didn't want anyone to feel loneliness like her. She began to cry softly. She would give anything for her old body and to go home.

Terrorsaur gazed after Starfeather for a moment. He didn't intend to be that harsh and wished that what he had said didn't come out quite like that. But his attention was turned by Scorponok's voice.

"Hey, Terrorsaur! Quit staring into space and get on monitor duty!"

Terrorsaur didn't talk back for once and did what was asked of him without a word.

_-Later That Night-_

Megatron and Waspinator were just emerging from the C.R. tank.

"Megatron back! Megatron back!" Scorponok exclaimed. "Scorponok alone with Tarantulas, Terrorsaur, and Starfeather. Very bad!"

Starfeather rolled her optics. _What a dunce suck up, _she thought. Whenever Megatron was around, he seemed to loose most of his IQ.

"You and Waspinator were returned to us badly damaged," Tarantulas explained.

"Yes... I remember now," Megatron began. "Optimus, Optimus Primal, terminated. Quickly! Scorponok, you and Waspinator get back to the standing stones and guard that alien probe!" he commanded.

The two hastily followed through with his order.

"And as for the rest of us, this is a perfect opportunity, yes." Megatron continued, stepping from the platform and walking toward the exit.

"May I ask for what, sir?" Starfeather wondered.

"Of course, my young Predacon." He nodded in her direction. "I know just how the weakling Maximals will respond to Optimus's death. Confusion, bickering, recriminations; the perfect opportunity for a surprise attack."

_Oh no,_ she groaned inwardly._ Not more getting shot at._

_-At the Battle-_

Megatron, Terrorsaur, Tarantulas, and Starfeather were now firing at the Maximal base. Terrorsaur seemed to enjoy swooping down and blasting at it with his shoulder mounted cannons. She personally didn't see the fun in all this. _Guys._ They continued to fire until three of the Maximals, Rattrap, Cheator, and Dinobot, came out to meet them.

Starfeather watched but continued to shoot at the base as Megatron ran to meet up with the traitor, Dinobot. Dinobot jumped and gave him a solid kick to the face. They were soon caught up in a one on one.

Starfeather hovered lower to the ground next to Terrorsaur and changed her line of fire. She began shooting at the approaching Maximals. They shot back, of course. She and Terrorsaur ducked and swerved, as if this were a deadly dance. This was almost... fun? Great, it was affecting her too, what ever _it_ was.

"Their shields are weakening. Let's dive-bomb 'em!" Terrorsaur suggested eagerly. She nodded in agreement. They then went skyward and dove for the Maximal base, firing as they went.

Rattrap had to do something, since Dino-butt wasn't obeying his orders to juice up the shields. Their base would be done for if those two fliers hit it right. He ran as fast as he could then leaped, rolled over in mid air, and blasted at apposing fliers before he slammed the button to bring the shields back online.

Terrorsaur and Starfeather were blasted backwards, Starfeather screaming again. She _really_ hated this. Megatron was also knocked back. Taratulas then suggested that they withdraw and head for the standing stones for back up.

Starfeather was hurt on her left shoulder. Some wires hung loose, oozing with her robotic blood, and she had trouble moving that whole arm. Suddenly, a painful surge of energy rippled through her body. She gasped in pain, doubling over. Everyone else was hiving similar issues.

"Energon surge... Revert to beast mode." Megatron commanded, his voice vainly disguising his pain. They did so and continued for the standing stones.

_-At the Standing Stones-_

All the Predacons were back at the standing stones and in robot mode again, the threat of a surge greatly reduced. They hid from the Maximals behind some of stones and waited for the right moment.

"Eh, too quiet. I was sure the Preds would be makin' for the probe," Rattrap was saying.

"Ah, an excellent prediction, Commander Rattrap." Megatron stated as he and his men came out from their hiding spots. "Let's see how you fare in the battle field this time." He then began firing and the others followed suit.

After a few moments of fighting, Megatron signaled for Waspinator to take out Rhinox. Waspinator saluted and snuck off.

"Argh, it's like this whole place is a single device!" Rhinox was muttering as he fiddled with something.

Waspinator was doing just splendid until the rhino saw his reflection on the surface of the shiny alien probe. He blasted the wasp mercilessly until his right arm fell off. Dazed and pain surging through his main frame, Waspinator stumbled backward until he leaned against one of the stone pliers.

Suddenly, all of the stones lit up and the probe gave off an aurora of light.

"This whole place _is_ a single device!" Rhinox exclaimed.

The alien device then began to open. Everyone stopped shooting, gazing in awe. A bright, glowing figure appeared just above the probe. The figure's glow dimmed and was revealed as Optimus Primal.

"Look who's back, and feeling prime!" he stated. He then took one shot to all the Predacons. They fell back one by one, including Starfeather.

Megatron managed to get to his feet first. "The day, and the probe, is yours Optimus, yes. Just remember, not all aliens are munificent." He then signaled for his men to follow him back to the base.

Starfeather saw that he didn't look too happy. _I just know he's gonna take it out on us,_ she thought with a sigh. She transformed to beast mode, along with everyone else, but she glanced back. She saw the probe vanish into thin air. _What in the world?_ "Megatron! The probe vanished!"

"What?" Megatron looked back.

"Interesting," Tarantulas murmured.


	7. The Secret Garden

**#7 - The Secret Garden**

Starfeather continued to do well in her training. She was also now being taught the differences of the Predacons and Maximals. She listened through Megatron's lectures of Predacon oppression and heard trash talk about the Maximals from the others but she wasn't buying any of it. She now knew where she stood in the battle ground and that was on the wrong boarder line. She seriously considered leaving for a time but thoughts of her new friends kept her from it. And another thought tugged at her. Maybe, just maybe, her influence would have a positive affect on the others.

In all truth, her presence in the base did affect everyone to some degree, no matter how small. Her willingness to help even when you didn't ask for it, to do what was asked of her and even when you didn't ask made the Predacons wonder about her. However, her lack of knowledge about how to operate or repair some of the most basic equipment would have the opposite affect.

Starfeather was getting tired of all the training and exercises. There was no recess, not even a weekend break like on Saturday and Sunday. She wanted at least one day to herself, to relax and do what she wanted for a change. She wanted a place where she could run to when wanted to be alone, remote and unknown to everyone else.

She was still bothered about having her old life and humanity ripped away from her. When memories got a hold of her, the urge to break into crying fits was strong. But she forced them back because she didn't want the others to hear her sobs and think she was a weakling ex-human girl. She had already proved that on her first real battle.

-x-

Megatron was still waiting for his time to claim the ex-human. She still seemed somewhat distant from the others except her wing mates. _Of course_, he grimaced. Throughout his races' history, fliers tended to be closer knit than the rest of the group. Yet it seemed any chance she got, she would run and hide in her quarters and wouldn't come out until she had an order or Terrorsaur and Waspinator wanted to play that silly card game of hers.

On the other hand, she was becoming quite skilled in her training. She hardly complained out loud (Megatron still didn't know if it was out of fear or not but, frankly, he didn't care) and she did everything she was told and then some. She was a rather useful servant to his cause.

It was only a mater of time before Starfeather became his personal rag doll, yes.

-x-

Starfeather had now been with the Predacons for over two months.

"Starfeather, I think it's time you were given a solo mission, yes." Megatron announced to her.

"If you say so, sir. What will I be doing?" _Nothing suicidal I hope,_ she added to herself.

"You will be scouting a possible energon location near the Maximal boarder," As Megatron said this, he brought up a grid on the spherical monitor and pointed to a location. "Report back if you find anything of use." he ordered.

Starfeather groaned inwardly but saluted. _Of course it's at the boarder, where I'm most likely to get shot at. _But she didn't object out loud and did what she was told.

-x-

The raven was now gliding just above the trees. The only thing that would temporarily lift her spirits was flying. She had only imagined what flying would be like and it was better than she had ever dreamed! Terrorsaur had taught her pretty much everything she knew now about maneuvering and other things she couldn't recall at the moment. He wasn't exactly the best teacher but she had survived, obviously.

Scanning the area as she went, she didn't find the energon yet. She spotted a clearing up ahead, a single tree standing tall in the center.

"Maybe the energon is over there," she thought out loud.

She swooped down through the branches, avoiding the leaves, and landed at the edge of the clearing. She was swept away by the sight of it. There were a few giant rocks thickly carpeted with moss piled in the center of the grass sward. These rocks supported a large oak tree, its roots snaking down the mound and into cracks and the ground. One large root grew above a little stream that flowed through the clearing, creating a mini bridge or a nice perch. The place was nearly covered in glossy yellow, soft white, and tiny light pink wild flowers.

Starfeather was speechless.

She transformed to bot mode and walked up to the rocks as if in a dream. She went all around the rocks, studying and observing them, and found a tiny cavern like space. It was dry and protected from the weather, a perfect place to store things.

"This... this place...!" the raven breathed, backing away from the rocks and tree to look on them again. "This place is perfect!" she exclaimed, twirling about happily. This place was her dream hideaway. She had had one back home but it was just a grassy hollow in the ground, shielded by bushes, with a rotting log inside to sit on. When it rained, the hollow filled with water so she couldn't keep anything there.

It was then that Starfeather remembered she was supposed to be looking for energon. She growled. She wanted to explore this place some more then claim it for her own. "I'll get beaten if I don't finish up, though." she mumbled.

With that, she went beast mode and took off.

-x-

"Good work, Starfeather." Megatron was saying. Starfeather's mission had been successful. The useful energon had been near a rocky area that was largely unusable and dangerous. It was so concentrated and unstable that it erupted through the ground like steam from a geyser. "You're shaping up to be an excellent Predacon, yes."

"Th-thank you, sir. But I have a request," Starfeather said hesitantly. "Could I go scouting some more?"

"Yes, you may. Take Waspinator with you."

"I uh... I meant alone."

Megatron looked at her suspiciously. "And why would you want to go alone?"

"I like the privacy," She told him the half-truth.

"Very well," he finally agreed. After all, if he wanted her to feel comfortable around him, he was going to have to use honey instead of vinegar to catch her.

"Thank you, sir." She saluted and turned to go. After she evaded Scorponok (he was a little more testy than usual today) she went beast mode and left the base. Within twenty minutes, she reached the clearing and landed.

"Terrorize!" she commanded and transformed. She didn't like saying 'terrorize' but she had to in order to get to robot mode, be it aloud or in her mind. She walked around the area, looking to see what she could do to make it more... presentable.

There were lots of fallen branches, dead leaves, and scattered weeds everywhere around the clearing. Starfeather first picked up some branches and tossed them into the surrounding forest. Next she pulled up the ugly weeds and sent them down stream. Finally she went around gathering the leaves. This last chore took about two hours until finally, she was done.

She stood up and looked around, grinning with satisfaction. She had done a little gardening with her mother and family friend, Alexis, when she was five and still lived in Arizona. Suddenly, her comm. link came on.

_"Starfeather, do you read?"_ That was Terrorsaur's voice.

"Loud and clear. What do you want?" Starfeather replied.

_"Megatron says to get your tail feathers back here and give your report."_

"You sure it wasn't _you_ that said, "tail feathers"?" She asked with a smirk, even though Terrorsaur couldn't see. She heard a muffled chuckle.

_"I hate it when you do that,"_ he said.

"Do what?" she asked, giggling.

He sighed. _"Just get back here. Terrorsaur: out."_ Then the comm. link went silent.

Starfeather had to laugh. When she first met him, she had been scared of him. Along with his fierce appearance, he had a temper to match when he felt like it. He was also stubborn and ornery. But he did have a fuzzy side to his bristles. He proved that numerous times since her arrival and 'transformation'. She also knew well of his ambition to rise to the top of the Predacons. She wasn't sure if she really wanted to help him yet, knowing the risks and punishments of treachery to Megatron.

With a final look around, she went beast mode and left.

-x-

"Hmm," Rhinox was watching an energy signature on the screen. "Optimus, there's a Predacon signal close to the north-western boarder."

"Identity?" Optimus wondered, coming behind the rhino to get a better look himself.

Rhinox tapped a few buttons and a close up image appeared of a raven carrying something in her claws. It was blue and had two straps on it, on of which was in its claws. "It's that new Predacon."

Curiosity and slight alarm provoked, Cheetor left his post to stand beside Primal, also to get a look. He hissed quietly. "What would she be doing near the boarder?"

"I dunno, but whatever it is, it can't be good." Rattrap stated, punching his fist into his other palm.

"But look," Dinobot pointed to a location on the screen that appeared to be her destination. "It's only a small clearing just inside their border."

"Hmm... Rattrap, I want you to go out and check out what she's doing but **do not** engage her in battle." Optimus ordered. The rat shrugged but did as he was told.

-x-

Starfeather managed to smuggle most of her belongings out of the base. She assumed, this being a mini-war, the Maximals would attack the base sooner or later. She didn't want her only physical remnants to be lost to battle damage. But she did leave her Uno Attack game at the base so that she and her wing mates could play. She kept her diary and iPod in her subspace at all times. Squishy would always guard her bunk without question or fear. I he were to be destroyed, he would go out with honor like any loyal teddy bear or blanket.

Backpack in claw, the raven flew as fast as she could to her secret garden. When she reached it, she carefully dropped her bag a few feet from the ground and landed as she transformed to robot mode.

"Okay, gotta hurry," she muttered to herself. "Gotta get on with my rout them back home." She picked up her bag and stuffed it into the cavern in the rock mound. She was about to turn around and leave when-

"Hold it right there, Predacon." a voice spat.

She took a sharp breath and froze, her spark nearly leaping into her throat.

"Yeah, that's right. Now turn around nice and _slowly_," the voice commanded.

She did as she was told and saw a rather short Maximal standing at the edge of the clearing holding his gun at pointblank range at her stomach. _Oh, what's his name?_ She searched her memory desperately._ Uh... Rat... Rattrap! _"What do you want Rattrap?" she demanded, though her voice quivered with fear and a hint of anger. How dare he creep up on her in her own territory when she wasn't doing anything wrong?

"What's your business near the Maximal boarder?" Rattrap questioned.

"I-I'm near the boarder?" She had completely forgotten where this place was located. _Aw man,_ she groaned inwardly.

"Yeah you're near the boarder," the rat retorted, still pointing his blaster at her.

"Well uh, I um, I'm sorry. I-I just..." she stuttered but Rattrap wasn't convinced as he narrowed his optics at her. "I'll leave if you want me to." Starfeather finally got out.

He stared hard at her. This could easily be some sort of a trap. "First, what's in the rocks?" Rattrap asked suspiciously, pointing at the rock mound with his free hand.

"What?"

"What did you put in the rocks?" he demanded.

"Oh, that... My stuff," she answered quietly like a little child in trouble for being caught in the act of sneaking a cookie.

"Your stuff?" he repeated.

"Yeah, my personal things... I was afraid that if you guys attacked the base or something that my stuff would be destroyed. And it's all I got left from before I- ...oops." She slapped a hand to her mouth, fighting the urge to kick herself. _Really smooth, girl, just blab it to the enemy,_ she thought.

To her confusion, Rattrap smirked almost smugly and twirled his gun on his finger. "All you got left from before you what?" he asked teasingly.

She tensed and glowered at him. "None of your freakin' business! I shouldn't even be talking to you!" she exclaimed, reaching for her own blaster while he was distracted but stopped. "Wait, why aren't you even shooting me?" she asked, genuinely confused.

"'Cause Optimus only wanted me tah watch ya," he answered, pointing his gun back at her again.

She looked at him like he had tried to pull a stupid prank on her. "Well, I think you just failed your little spy mission if I'm talking to you." she stated flatly.

"Not if I thought I caught a Pred plantin' a bomb," he retorted, still keeping his blaster pointed at her.

"Now why would I plant a bomb near the boarder? It wouldn't affect anything!" Now she was getting irritated. She was wasting time arguing with the Maximal pest and her current wellbeing was on the line.

He also realized his extreme notion. "...good point." Rattrap was stumped only for a moment. "But it's still a good place tah hide one."

"Fine! I'll prove to you it's not a bomb," Starfeather knelt down with a huff and pulled out her sky blue backpack, unzipped it, and dumped out its contents. Her few clothes, her fishing supplies, her sketch pad and mechanical pencil, and her recorder. "Believe me now?" she asked heatedly.

Rattrap came over. He glanced over the items then at her look like he knew a secret that she should know. "These're human things. What's a Pred doin' wit' human stuff?" he asked as if he already knew the answer.

She looked at him like he was stupid. "It's mine. Why else would I have it?"

"What do you take me for?" he spat.

"I take you for a Maximal," she stated plainly.

"What's dat supposed tah mean?" the rat demanded, offended.

"It means that you wouldn't believe me, a _Pred_, if I told you. Now would you just..." Starfeather suddenly grew fearful, not of Rattrap hurting her, but that he might be detected by the other Predacons and then they both would get in trouble. "You need to get out of here. The others might detect you any minute."

"Huh?" Rattrap was baffled. Was she actually _warning_ him?

Starfeather paused before she spoke. "I... I know that you Maximals are the good guys and I want you to win this war so you need every man- 'bot you can get."

Rattrap was taken aback and asked the obvious question. "If you're so smart then, why not join us?"

Starfeather looked away. "I have friends here, friends like Waspinator and Terrorsaur. I could never fight against them..."

Rattrap couldn't believe it. _How could she think she's friends with those stinkin' Preds?_ he wondered.

"You didn't know them because you don't live with them," Starfeather defended, almost as if she had read his mind, but she hadn't. She'd read his facial expression.

"Well _excuse_ me. I didn't even say anything," Rattrap said.

"You were thinking it."

"How did you... Never mind."

"Would you just go? I need to get back anyway or Megatron will punish me."

"Alright, alright... And you can leave your... stuff here." Rattrap told her, albeit grudgingly. Though he wouldn't admit it willingly, he did feel some pity for her. She was just a kid, like Cheetor.

Starfeather was putting her things back in her backpack when he said this. She stopped and looked at him, almost smiling. "Thank you, very much."

He paused. "Why here?" he then asked.

"Well, this is a nice spot. I mean, just look around. It's so peaceful here," She stood then, having put her bag back in the hole in the rocks. She waved an arm around the clearing to emphasize. "Anyway, I need to go. It was... interesting talking with you Rattrap. Beast mode!" she commanded and was gone in a flash, leaving Rattrap baffled. He stood there before going beast mode himself and heading back to base.

"If dat's what human femmes are like..." he muttered to himself but couldn't find word to finish.

-x-

"You did what?" Cheetor exclaimed in disbelief.

Rattrap held up his hands in defense. "'Ey 'ey, all I did was let 'er keep her personal things at dat spot. I figured it was far enough away from the base so..." This was embarrassing enough.

"You did good, Rattrap." Optimus reassured the rat, giving him a pat on the shoulder. "Rhinox, let me know the next time you detect her signature there. I want to meet this Predacon."


	8. Power Surge: Power Vs Friendship

**#8 - Power Surge: Power Vs. Friendship**

While Terrorsaur was out on a routine scouting mission, Megatron was showing the rest of his troops the improved base defense systems. Everyone was in their beast modes to hide from the energon fields.

Starfeather pretended to be interested but her mind was still on her little chat with Rattrap yesterday. Why had he acted so cocky when she showed him her belongings? It was like he had been taunting her about not being a human anymore. But how could he know who she was?

"I've programmed this target box with the Maximals' energy signatures. Now watch," Megatron was saying.

The floating target box zipped around until one of the defense guns shot it down good. Tarantulas and Scorponok chuckled evilly and Waspinator ooed and awed. Starfeather nodded, bored. Boys and their guns...

"With a few more of these in place," Megatron went on. "This area will become a deathtrap for the Maximals." He stopped talking at the sound of a loud screech.

"Raawk!"

Then Terrorsaur appeared, descending from the sky. Everyone stared up at him in confusion. Starfeather looked at him closely. It looked like he was suffering from an energon surge but... he wasn't acting like he was in any pain at all. And his voice sounded... different. Did it drop an octave?

"Just the sort a plan a cowardly lizard like yourself would conceive of, Megatron!" he scoffed, stabbing a finger at the defense gun. "Which is why I am now assuming command of the Predacons!"

Scorponok was shocked. "W-what?"

"You idiot, what're you doing?" Starfeather exclaimed. She knew Terrorsaur wanted to take over but she didn't think he would go about it so recklessly. Things like this needed to be thought through, not to mention it helped to have a back up plan or two. There were just too many variables.

"I thought you had already learned your lesson about challenging me, Terrorsaur." Megatron lectured threateningly. As he said this, everyone else moved back. They knew a fight was imminent.

"Today, I am the teacher," Terrorsaur declared. "That is, if you have the courage to humor me."

"Very well, I could use some amusement," Megatron retorted passively. He then transformed and immediately fired twice at his offending underling. Starfeather held her breath, refusing to look away, but was even more startled at what happened next. Megatron's shots didn't even scratch Terrorsaur!

When the smoke cleared, Terrorsaur was... laughing.

"That _was_ amusing," he chuckled. "But not as funny as **this**!" He activated his shoulder cannons and fired repeatedly at Megatron, successfully forcing him over the edge of a cliff.

_I don't remember his cannons being that big! What's going on here?_ Starfeather thought, her beak hanging open as she watched.

Everyone went tentatively looked over the edge of the cliff. Megatron had landed on a rocky shelf and was getting up.

"Megatron?" Scorponok called hopefully.

_Kiss-up,_ Starfeather thought but she quickly brushed it away and concentrated on current happenings.

Megatron was mad now. "Terrorsaur, you traitorous worm... I'll finish you forever!" he roared and charged at him.

"I don't think so," Terrorsaur replied calmly as he pulled out his blaster. It was huge! It had gone from the size of a handgun to the bulk of an assault riffle. He blasted Megatron several times, bits and pieces flying off along with spurts of energon and hydraulic fluid, until he forced him right over the edge of the shelf. He fell to pieces upon his descent.

Terrorsaur chuckled evilly with satisfaction.

"Megatron's destroyed!" Scorponok exclaimed, greatly disheartened.

"W-Wazpinator doez not believe it!" Waspinator razzed, just as shocked.

Starfeather couldn't find words to say anything. She had never seen such a brutal and merciless attack in her life. The sight of Megatron lying motionless and bleeding down bellow began to sicken her. She swallowed a gag and shuddered, looking away.

However, Tarantulas had more valid wonderings. "Hmm, Terrorsaur has never had _that_ much power," he muttered to himself. He had to have found some kind of source, and a big one at that, to gain what he had. This could be useful...

Before anyone could truly react, Terrorsaur came back up to them. "Megatron is scrap, _yes_. I'm your leader now!" he declared then gave each of them a stern look in the optics. "Does anyone want to argue about it?"

Everyone shook their heads rapidly, shying away from him.

"Good," Terrorsaur nodded, pleased with everyone's quick cooperation. "Now, charge yourselves for battle. The Maximals will be the next to taste my power!"

A little ways away and out of sight, Cheetor had been watching all this time. He had even witnessed Terrorsaur fly from the power source, a floating mountain chucked full of unstable energon crystals.

"Ultra bad," he murmured then turned and high-tailed it out of there to warn the other Maximals.

"Here are my orders: Waspinator and I-" Terrorsaur was saying but suddenly flinched and hunched over a bit.

"Is something wrong Terrorsaur?" Tarantulas asked with a hint of suspicion.

Terrorsaur paused before answering. "I must s-see to something before the attack," He flinched again. "Uh, Starfeather will command until I return." He rushed away from them, transforming to beast mode, and flew away.

The raven was shocked. He gave _her_ the authority to command? What had gotten into him? She couldn't these brutes even if she wanted to!

Scorponok then turned to her. "What does he mean you command? _I'm_ the Second in Command!" he growled, snapping his claws angrily.

She shrank back, her wings quivering. "I- I... I didn't ask to command!" She panicked. "And I don't want it! You can keep it for all I care!" She flapped her wings in an attempt to make him back away from her. He did so with satisfaction.

Then the real questions began forming in her frazzled mind. How had Terrorsaur been able to do all those things? Why had his weapons mushroomed to their immense size? She had to ask him herself. Without another word, she took to the sky and followed the direction her wing mate had disappeared.

Waspinator looked to Scorponok expectantly. "Well?"

"Well what?" the scorpion asked irritably.

"If you're in command, what iz your command?"

It only took one look at the broken body of Megatron and Scorponok knew what to do. "Make ready the restoration module. We must salvage our true leader."

With that, the two of them went to gather what they could of Megatron, who was merely in stasis lock.

-x-

Starfeather glanced all around as she soared passed tree and mountain tops in the direction she guessed Terrorsaur had gone. She continued to fly on for a while until she heard something to her left. She went that way, banking a jagged hill top, and spotted who she was looking for.

"Terrorsaur! Wait up!" she called out.

He squawked in surprise and hovered in place to face. "Starfeather? What are you doing here? I told you to keep the others in line!"

She glared at him like he was stupid. "Yeah, like I know how to do that," she retorted. "But the reason I'm here is because I want to know why you're acting so strange. You're scaring me!"

He considered telling her what he was up. After all, she did have a right to know. But then she might do something to stop him. He knew that she wasn't too fond of violence and what he had done to Megatron was well beyond violent... Oh, what could she do? She couldn't stop him. She was just a femme, still in training no less.

"Alright," he began. "You see that mountain?" he asked, briefly pointing to it with his wingtip.

She looked past him and nearly fell out of the sky with shock. "Yeah," she squeaked, regaining her balance. "H-how did a... a _mountain_ get up there?"

Terrorsaur was amused with her rather comical reaction but he shook it off. "Unstable energon. I can absorb its power directly into my superstructure. That's how I was able to destroy Megatron."

"What?" Starfeather exclaimed, snapping her gaze from the mountain back to him. "Wouldn't that overload your systems?"

"When the charge gives out, it could." he admitted then something occurred to him. Maybe now he could talk her into joining him. "I wonder if the same thing could be done on you..."

Her optics widened. "What? You- you're not thinking of super charging _me_, are you?"

His optics narrowed. "And why not? It would give us an advantage. The two of us, working together, to destroy the Maximals and rule the Predacons!"

"Bu-b-but-" she stuttered. "I-I don't know anything about leading armies!"

He shook his head. "Remember what I told you about weakness," he stated. "This is your chance to prove yourself, Starfeather. To grasp true power! To truly become a Predacon!"

She gaped at him like he had just asked her to throw herself over a cliff. She never wanted to be what she was or to have great power. She backed away from him. "How can you say that? I've never had any desire to be a- a... a tyrant! A villain, maybe, but not a heartless, blood-thirsty monster!"

Terrorsaur frowned. "Fine. Have it your way," he muttered darkly. "Go back to the others." He ordered then turned and headed for the floating mountain.

Starfeather helplessly watched him go, suddenly regretting all that she had said. She just realized that she had basically called _him_ the heartless, blood-thirsty monster. She drifted to the ground and hung her head. "Me and my big mouth," she mumbled.

When she saw Optimus Primal fly past overhead, Rattrap clinging to his back, she figured it was time to leave. Terrorsaur could take care of himself. Besides, after what just happened, he probably didn't want her around anymore.

-x-

Starfeather was now in robot mode. She was slouched in front of the monitor watching for any sign of Terrorsaur's return. She had been sitting there for over an hour. Megatron, being fully repaired and anything but happy, had ordered her to stay there until the offending Predacon showed up.

She knew that Terrorsaur wanted to scratch Megatron out of the picture for good so he could become the leader but she didn't know he would be so ugly about it. Or that he would want her to join him in his ruling. She had been flattered to some degree but she just could not bring herself to accept his offer. She didn't want to be feared or to be hated or to kill people when they didn't agree with her. It sickened her every time she remembered Megatron lying there... She shuddered.

Suddenly, Terrorsaur's energy signature appeared on radar. "Megatron, he's coming back!" she reluctantly called. She knew that Terrorsaur was in for a serious pounding. She wished there was some way she could get him out of this mess but there wasn't one. She felt so guilty and helpless.

"Good," Megatron growled. He regained his composure and watched and waited for Terrorsaur to land. After a moment, seeing as the traitorous Pred in question had landed, Megatron spoke. "Follow me," he said quietly then slowly headed out with a threatening air. The others followed, including Starfeather, though she really didn't want to.

"Well well, look who's back." Megatron taunted threateningly to Terrorsaur. This statement made Scorponok chuckle.

Terrorsaur then turned very pale. "Help..." he squeaked.

Starfeather looked down at the ground. She knew better than to interfere but she didn't want Megatron to do this. _Why?_ she thought sadly. But she knew why. Megatron was the heartless, blood-thirsty monster, not Terrorsaur. Terrorsaur would never be a monster to her. He could be nasty, yes, but not a monster.

Megatron seized Terrorsaur by the throat, preventing him from flying away. As he bellowed and ranted, he would hit and kick the pterodactyl. Starfeather flinched and looked away. She didn't want to watch her wing mate suffer.

-x-

Leaving the red mech to 'think' about what he had done, Megatron went back inside the base followed by Waspinator, Scorponok, and Tarantulas who had crawled back from what ever it was that he had been doing.

Starfeather lingered. She looked down at Terrorsaur who was now in robot mode but had some limbs detached and was gradually bleeding into stasis lock. She slowly and cautiously walked up to him. She stayed silent for a moment, trying to find the right things to say. Finally, she spoke softly. "I'm sorry about... about what I said before," she began.

Terrorsaur weakly looked up at her. "Doesn't matter, I shouldn't've asked you..." he muttered. "You're younger than Waspinator, I shoulda put him in charge."

"No, it's okay." She knelt beside him, looking him over anxiously. "Do you want some help?" she asked.

"I don't want your pity," he tried to growl but it ended up sounding like a moan.

Starfeather put her hands in her hips indignantly. "I'm not _pitying_ you," she retorted. "I just thought I'd help you seeing that your legs are all the way over there and that your other arm is missing." She pointed to where his battered limbs were strewn. "But if you don't want my _pity_, I guess I'll just leave you here to play with the other buzzards." She stood angrily and turned to leave. She should've expected that from him. If he wanted to lie there and feel sorry for himself until he went into stasis lock, fine by her. Waspinator would come out for him eventually.

Terrorsaur clenched his teeth in frustration and pain. Why did he have to be so stupid? Even she really did pity him right now, he knew that he couldn't get to the C.R. tank alone. By the time Waspinator got the courage to come out and get him, he could be in stasis lock or worse. But he wasn't about to beg her to come back and help. He had lost enough dignity already.

Starfeather reached the hatch and her anger seemed to slide from her shoulders and guilt take its place. She glanced back at her downed wing mate and sighed. "What am I doing? I can't just leave him out there," she murmured to herself. She jumped when Waspinator suddenly appeared in her path.

"Bird-bot already help Terrorsaur?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Not yet," she answered then managed a smile. "Want to come help too?"

His features brightened. "Okay," he said and followed her out.

Terrorsaur was surprised when Starfeather came back with Waspinator. He stared up at them, searching for an explanation. The raven smiled awkwardly. "We fliers should stick together," she said, quoting himself from weeks previous.

At that, Terrorsaur managed to smile back.


	9. Decisions and Confrontation

**#9 - Decisions and Confrontation**

Megatron was very pleased with Starfeather's training. She wasn't about to become his best flier (Terrorsaur still held that position until he proved otherwise) but she certainly was useful. Unlike Waspinator, she was not expendable or clumsy. She was very careful when it came to tasks, delicate or not, even though she did make mistakes. She learned quickly and was becoming a fine soldier.

Her training was basically complete and she would begin routine duties tomorrow morning. However, Megatron wished her pass one more test.

-x-

Starfeather was spending her free time at her special clearing, drawing in her sketch pad. She was working on a picture of a wolf over looking a forest from where it sat on a cliff. The view of the picture was from a point above the wolf, looking down into the sea of gray fur trees below. The hardest part for her was doing all of the trees.

Ever since the incident with Rattrap, she had made it a point to gather long, straight sticks to build a fence on the edge of her clearing to show others that this place was taken. So far, she had a good quarter finished. Instead of nails or screws to hold the sticks together, she used discarded fiber cord from the base waste bins.

Finally finishing her sketch, she was going to try shading her picture when she heard someone clear their throat. She gasped and looked up to see- "Optimus Primal?" she exclaimed, alarmed. "W-what do you want?"

"I only wish to speak with you," Optimus said calmly then looked around. He was standing just outside the part of the fence. "You did a fine job of fixing this place up," he commented.

"Uh, thanks." Starfeather was taken aback. _Why does he want to me?_ she wondered. She wasn't sure what she should do. Her training told her to blast his head off but her better judgment told her to listen to him. "What... what do you want to talk to me about?" she asked.

He didn't offer an answer other looking back at her thoughtfully. "Mind if I come in?" he asked.

"...no."

With that, Optimus jumped over the fence and landed in front of the rock mound. "What are you doing?" he wondered, seeming to try and sound conversational.

"Just... doodling." She tentatively held up her picture so Optimus could see. He admired it.

"You're quite an artist," he complimented.

"Thanks," She bit her lip sheepishly, feeling her face heat up, but she quickly got over her embarrassment. She set down her sketch pad and began to get serious. "I don't think you came just to say hi, did you?"

He exhaled softly. "No, I didn't. I came to talk about you."

"_About_ me?" She gave him a questionable look.

"Yes," Optimus nodded. "I know you probably don't trust me, you have no reason to, but I need some questions answered."

Starfeather looked away. "What does it matter to you? That's my business and I don't want to talk about it. Now could you leave? I don't want the others to find you. We'd both get in real trouble."

He looked at her, watching her body language. "You're quite considerate for a Predacon," he noted.

"I've noticed," she muttered, crossing her arms and hugging herself.

Optimus paused before he went on. "I realize that you may have friends on the Predacon side, but according to Rattrap, you said yourself that they are not the ones to join with. We will treat you with respect if you come to us. You would be an equal rather than a subordinate. What logical reason do you have to stay with them?"

Starfeather tried to get her thoughts together and straighten them up before she spoke. She sighed with the weight and began. "I want to stay with the Predacons to help them. They're people just like me and just like you with their own personalities. They need the same things we do; energy, shelter... each other." She closed her optic shutters to stop the fluid from leaking out. "I don't know history very well, but I do know that life isn't fare. We've just gotta suck it up and deal with it. I know what's right and wrong... it's wrong to abandon someone who needs you..." By this point, her voice was quivering. She turned away and hid her face in her hands.

Optimus's face was grim. He knew that the Predacons were Transformers just like himself and his crew but this was a war. Beliefs may have to be compromised for the greater good. He sympathized with her, even though he knew her cause was in vain. He slowly went up and sat beside her. He watched her sob for a long moment before putting an arm around her shoulders. He knew she wasn't one of his troops, but he could see that her spark was pure and that she needed some comfort, something the Preds probably wouldn't provide.

Starfeather flinched when she felt an unfamiliar arm come around her, but she soon relaxed and leaned into the embrace. She didn't care what side she or Primal were on right now. She just wanted _someone_ to be there for her.

Finally, she calmed down and took a deep breath. "...thank you." she murmured.

"Don't mention it," Optimus replied.

She smiled slightly and looked up at him. He sure wasn't as bad as the Preds made him seem. "You'd better go. The others might detect y-" she didn't get a chance to finish as her comm. link came on.

_"Starfeather, where are you?"_ That was Scorponok.

Starfeather said nothing of Optimus and he wisely stayed quiet. "I uh, left to scout. Megatron told me to."

_"Whatever, Megatron wants you to come back now."_ Scorponok replied.

"Why?" Starfeather questioned.

_"How should I know? He never tells me anything unless I need to know. Now back here or you're gonna be in trouble. Scorponok: out."_

Starfeather closed the channel and absently glanced down at her sketch. She didn't feel ready to go back yet. She was enjoying Optimus's company, though it was a bit awkward. Besides, she could barely get a moment's peace.

"We both need to go," Optimus agreed.

"Yeah. I guess I'll see you again... at the next battle," she replied sadly and with a hint of fear.

He noted her unease. "There's really nothing I can do about that," he said.

She nodded. "I know..." she mumbled. "This is so complicated."

Optimus nodded and, standing up, helped her up. She put her sketch pad back in her subspace and, saying their final goodbyes, went their separate ways.

-x-

Rattrap was the first to greet Optimus. "So how'd it go?"

"A lot better than your interaction," Optimus said, more to joke with him. "And since I know you won't stop pestering me until you get an answer, she told me the same thing only with an explanation." he continued.

"And just what was her explanation, I'd like to know?"

"She said that it wouldn't feel right to her if she left them."

"Ha! What a load of slag."

Optimus shook his head. "Rattrap, you must remember that she's just a young femme. I think she feels that some of the other Predacons are her friends." When the shorter Maximal still scoffed, Optimus went on. "Say the situations were reversed and Cheetor was in her place. How do you think he would feel?"

That got the rat stumped so he simply changed the subject. "So... what're we gonna do about ole Megs's plan?" Rattrap wondered.

"I've been thinking about that too and I have come up with a plan of action," Optimus answered

"Enlighten me."

"I'll tell everyone at once." With that, Optimus called a strategy meeting and told the others his plan.

-x-

When Starfeather got back to base, Scorponok was there to meet her, to her annoyance. "You're gone too often for comfort," the scorpion said suspiciously.

"So? You're not Megatron. I don't need to answer as strictly to you," the raven retorted.

"No, but I'm Second in Command _under_ Megatron," he shot back.

"Ha! Waspinator could do better than you!" she scoffed.

That did it. Scorponok aimed his claw missiles directly at her. "Say that again, I dare you."

Starfeather knew that she had gone too far. _Way to go Star. Just open your big mouth... again,_ she thought as she took a step back. "No please, I'm sorry. I didn't-"

"You'd better watch your mouth missy, or I'll blast your head clean off your shoulders." But Scorponok tensed as soon as the words passed his lips. Someone had come up behind him and pointed their own gun at his head.

"Do that and I'll blast _your_ head clean off," retorted the figure, his crimson optics glowing in the dark as he smirked.

Starfeather smiled a little at realizing who it was.

"I've got him submissive," confirmed the figure.

"Thanks Terrorsaur." With that, Starfeather hurried past the two to where Megatron was waiting in the main control room.

When Terrorsaur lowered his gun, Scorponok whirled around to face him. "What was that for?" he demanded.

"Mess with one flier, you mess with us all." Terrorsaur replied and walked away, leaving Scorponok to fume.

Meanwhile, Starfeather reached the main control room. She was a bit surprised to see that the only other being in the room was Megatron. When she made her presence known, he turned to her. He wore his usual smirk that he did when he was satisfied with a task performed properly. "Your training is complete Starfeather," he announced. "I have decided that it is time to promote you, yes. You are now in my favor under Scorponok. However, Terrorsaur is still your superior among the fliers."

Starfeather was completely and utterly shocked. She didn't know why Megatron would give her such a high authoritative position, one that she didn't deserve with her feeble skills. She didn't object yet but wanted to know why he thought her capable of this status. "Um, th-thank you, sir but... may I ask, why?"

"You deserve it, my dear," he replied, giving her a long look.

_He's never called me that before,_ she thought. The look he was giving her made her rather uncomfortable. "I... I don't understand, sir."

"Do not fret my young Predacon," he soothed. "All with be revealed in time. Now, I want to see you again before you retire to your quarters for the night." Megatron instructed.

"Yes, sir." Her voice squeaked. She walked quickly away. She met up with Scorponok again, but on more peaceful terms. He told her to get on monitor duty and so that's what she did.

She stared blankly at the screen, thinking about what had just happened to her. She then pulled out her diary from her subspace and began writing.

_Date N/A_

_Dear Diary,_

_Megatron is treating and talking to me very strangely. He called me "my dear" and knocked me up to being in command after Scorponok. He's also been acting 'too nice' to me. Recently, he's been letting me do just about anything I want and doesn't make me do much around the base besides my morning sessions, just monitor duty (which is what I'm doing as I write this) and maintenance. I think he's either babying me or he wants me to do something very dangerous for him at some point. Or he could want me to like him. Why doesn't he come out like a man and just say it? He must know that I don't bite by now. Maybe he thinks I'll say no, which I will, but still._

She put her diary away before she was caught, not like they could read English (at least she hoped they couldn't), but she didn't want to be seen not doing her job. When her shift was over, she gave her report and went to find Terrorsaur or Waspinator to see if they could play Uno. She wanted to get her mind off of things for a while.

-x-

It was nearing time to retire for the day and Starfeather was very tired, but she had to meet with Megatron once more. She didn't know what else he could possibly want to talk to her about. She couldn't help but remember the way he had looked at her... She was very nervous as she entered the main control room once again.

Megatron had his back to her but he soon turned around. "I was wondering if you were going to comply with my request," he murmured.

She got a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. She swallowed hard and asked "What... what do you want of me, sir?"

He got up from his command chair and came toward her leisurely. "Not here, no. We don't want to be disturbed now do we?" he said smoothly.

Starfeather's optics widened and her breath caught in her throat. "What do you mean... sir?" she managed to say. She began to feel very sick at the thought of what Megatron might be thinking, her spark raced.

"Come and see my dear, _yes_." With that, Megatron eased her in front of him as he left the control room and led her toward his quarters. She seemed to lose control over her own legs, allowing him to push along.

Starfeather felt numb and like she was going to loose her daily intake of energon at the realization. _Why is he doing this to me? I've done nothing but carried out all his orders as best I can... Does he really think this is a reward?_ she thought.

Plucking up her courage, she swallowed her sickness and stopped in her tracks, crossing her arms and putting on a very stern air. "So, I don't get a say in this? I mean, this is about _my_ 'personal space', isn't it?" she stated.

Megatron suspected that she might resist him at first. "If you do not come quietly, I may not be so forgiving with you." he replied, grabbing her arm and turning her to face him.

"Did you ever consider how I might feel about this? I've only ever had one boyfriend and all we did was sneak a kiss once in a while. How is this going to affect me? What would it do to me as a human once Tarantulas finds a way to change me back?"

He scoffed mentally. Did she honestly think that after so much time and training that Tarantulas was working on a way to change her back? "Whether you like it or not Starfeather, you are going to be here for a very long time. Why not enjoy your stay with us? It's been a long time since I've last seen a femme with such attractive features."

"You're disgusting!" She tired to retreat but he still had a grip on her arm.

He then forced her to look directly into his optics. "You do not have a choice," he hissed lustfully.

Her optics widened in terror. "No, please!" she begged, struggling to pull herself free but he held her fast.

"I am warning you, Starfeather." he growled, taking her other arm.

"I'll scream!" she threatened.

Megatron smirked mockingly. "No one will come to your aid if that's what you think will happen."

_I know someone who will,_ she thought then began screaming at the top of her vocal emitter. She hadn't been screaming for two seconds before Megatron covered her mouth with his hand, releasing one of her arms in the process.

"Enough," he ordered.

-x-

Waspinator and Terrorsaur were talking in the hallway outside their rooms when Starfeather's cries echoed throughout the base before they stopped abruptly. They looked at each other.

"What that about?" Waspinator wondered.

"I don't know but I'm going to find out," Terrorsaur said then left and headed for where he heard his friend's cry.

-x-

Megatron lifted Starfeather up by the neck and held her against the wall. He glared at her and she clutched his wrist, trying to loosen his grip so that she could breathe. Her mouth was open in a silent scream as Megatron moved his face closer to hers and bared his teeth.

"You will do as I say or you will suffer. Now, submit to me and I might forget your stubbornness," he whispered and trailed his other hand along the side of her face.

She tried to snap at his hand but bit nothing but air. She hoped that _something_ would happen to draw his attention away from her. To her relief, something did happen. Someone stepped into the hallway where they were located and squawked in shock.

Megatron looked at the new comer and growled. "What are you doing here Terrorsaur?" he demanded.

Terrorsaur paused before answering. "I came to see why my wing mate was yelling and I see now that she has good reason to be."

"You'd better watch your mouth needle nose after what you pulled a few days ago." Megatron warned. "Now, leave us and forget you ever saw this."

Starfeather gazed at Terrorsaur with pleading optics as she tried to call to him. She was unable to speak.

Terrorsaur saw this and glared back at Megatron. "No," He knew that he would beaten after this but if Starfeather, a femme and an ex-human nonetheless, could stand up for him, it was only fair to stand up for her. But wait a minute... when did he ever care about fairness?

Megatron looked from the frightened raven in his tight grasp to the rebelling pteranodon to his right. "Do as I command!"

"Not until you let her go!" Terrorsaur replied. He still wasn't sure about what he was doing but he was going to help his wing mate.

"Please!" Starfeather managed to gasp.

Suddenly, the alarm went off, warning that the Maximals were approaching. Megatron released Starfeather and she fell to the floor, coughing and wheezing and rubbing her aching neck.

"Battle stations, now!" he barked.

She painfully scrambled to her feet and stumbled behind Terrorsaur to the bridge, Megatron following more slowly. Waspinator and Scorponok were already there when they entered.

"Report," Megatron demanded, taking a seat in his command chair.

"I'm not sure what they're doing sir, but the Maximals aren't attacking the base." Scorponok answered.

"Where are they then?"

Starfeather had reached her position at a computer and brought up a visual on her screen. "They're attacking Tarantulas's lab!" _What is Optimus doing? Tarantulas is my only ticket out of here!_

"Predacons: attack!" Megatron ordered.

Everyone cleared out of the base and met head on with the Maximals, but it was already too late. Rhinox, Rattrap, and Dinobot were already inside. Cheetor and Optimus Primal were ready for their attack.

Megatron met with Optimus and Scorponok was taking on Cheetor. The fliers were hanging back until Rhinox, Rattrap, and Dinobot came out. Then they leaped into the sky and dove down, blasting as they went.

Starfeather aimed blankly, missing every time. Terrorsaur noticed this. "You're aiming too low! Go for their heads!" he advised, shouting over the sound of firepower. But her aim didn't improve. Terrorsaur still noticed this but said nothing for now.

The Maximals, having what they needed, finally retreated and the Predacons went back into the base, leaving Tarantulas to pick up the pieces in his mostly trashed layer. Starfeather avoided Megatron and headed for her quarters before he said anything. Terrorsaur followed her, wanting answers.

"You do fine in practice, why were you slaking off back there?" Terrorsaur questioned.

She thought for a moment for an excuse but came up with none so she just told the truth. "I'm distracted, that's all." she answered quietly, refusing to look at him. "Megatron scared me."

"What was he trying to do anyway?"

She didn't want to tell him. "I don't want to talk about it... Listen, I just want to go to sleep." With that, she continued down the hall alone to her room.

Terrorsaur could plainly see she was upset. She didn't even thank him for earlier. He watched as she went into her quarters and heard her lock the door. He still wondered what Megatron had been trying to do. He didn't know of anything that she had done wrong to deserve that kind of treatment.

-x-

Starfeather pressed her back against the door. She was scared about what had almost happened to her. Megatron had just tried to rape her and her only way of becoming human again and going home might have been destroyed. She didn't know what to do.

Curling up on her bed, holding tightly to Squishy, she began considering her options. She could sneak out that night and go to the Maximals, even though they had trashed Tarantulas's cave. Maybe it was for some other reason than the thing that brought her here. But if she joined the Maximals, she would have to fight Waspinator and Terrorsaur. She couldn't do that.

Her thoughts turned suicidal but she soon pushed them away. She didn't want to die. She had her whole life ahead of her and she still might be able to get her old body back and go home.

What could she do?


	10. Fallen Comrades: A Solution

**#10 - Fallen Comrades: A Solution**

Megatron now knew that Starfeather was smarter and stronger willed than he had first concluded. He would have to be more forceful in his approaches, swift and to the point. When he did have her in his clutches, then he could go as slow as he wanted.

-x-

Starfeather had a hard time getting a recharge that night. Visions of what could have happened to her clouded her mind as she squeezed her optics closed. Her spark refused to calm down, further depriving her of much needed sleep. When she did manage to fall asleep, she would just be startled awake again, dreaming Megatron had come in and touched her.

But what could she do to stop him from getting to her?

Then finally, after half the night of fretting, she had a plan. She would ask Terrorsaur and Waspinator to be her guardians again. With at least one of them in her vicinity at all times, that might be enough to turn Megatron off if he tried to get close. Then, if he did try anyway, he would have at least two to go up against. With this plan going over and over in her mind, she finally slept easier. She was woken up the next morning by Waspinator when she didn't show up for her morning duties.

"Bird-bot?" the wasp said, shaking her shoulder.

"Tenmoreminutes..." she slurred as she rolled over onto her other side, shimmying away from the offending hand.

"Bird-bot, wake up!" He shook her harder.

"Huh? Waspinator?" she groaned and yanked her arm away from him. She couldn't open her optic shutters.

"No more zzleep. Megatron very angry and want Bird-bot up now," he explained.

That made her sit bolt up right and look at him intently. "Does he want to see me?" she demanded.

"N-no," he stuttered.

"Good," she sighed with relief. "I don't want to face him ever again after what he tried to pull last night."

"What did Megatron do?" he wondered.

She sighed and looked down at her feet, readying herself to explain. "He-"

Before she could answer, Scorponok came in the door way. "How many 'bots does it take to wake you up?" he asked, exasperated. "A stasis pod has been detected and we'll need you two and Terrorsaur to get it before the Maximals do!"

"Yay," Starfeather grumbled sarcastically under her breath as she got out of bed. All three went down the hallway to the main control room. There, Terrorsaur was voicing the coordinates as to where the stasis pod had just crashed.

"Shall we go?" he asked eagerly.

"No, not yet." Megatron answered. "The Maximals will surely send their only flier to attempt to reach the pod first, yes." He paused, glancing back at the others, before he continued. "Let us make sure that he experiences turbulence."

-x-

"Fire!" Terrorsaur commanded. Megatron had sent him, Waspinator, and Starfeather to take out Optimus Primal before he even tried to leave for the stasis pod. Starfeather wondered why Dinobot had come out first but went back inside the base. She wondered if the Maximals had detected them.

The three of them began blasting away at Optimus and Dinobot. Waspinator shot Dinobot's tail shield like device right out of his hand.

"Oooh! Wazzpinator got him!" he exclaimed happily. It was rare for him to get a shot like that.

Terrorsaur laughed in that squawking style of his. "Ha! Watch this!" he said, narrowing his crimson optics and activating his shoulder cannons. He aimed and blasted once from each cannon at Optimus. He got him dead center in the chest plate. Dinobot responded by firing at a loose boulder above the three. Poor Waspinator could only watch, petrified, as the rock came collapsing on top of him.

"Hey!" Starfeather shouted, turning and firing on Dinobot. She hit him in the knee and he fell to the ground. She hated to do that but mess with her friends and you mess with her.

Meanwhile, Terrorsaur blasted at the rock and freed the somewhat flattened wasp, who gave a buzzing groan of pain.

"Want me to get him?" Starfeather offered.

"Nah, I'll do it. C'mon, back to base!" Terrorsaur answered as he reached out for Waspinator's hand. Once the injured 'bot was in a firm grip, off they went.

"Cowards! Face me!" Dinobot roared after them and shot at them, but they evaded his lasers.

"Not today, scale face!" Starfeather verbally shot back.

They got back to base and quickly dunked Waspinator in a C.R. tank and went before Megatron. He wasn't too happy with their report. "So, Optimus Primal was not destroyed," Megatron concluded. "You disappoint me Terrorsaur, yes."

Starfeather was glaring at the Predacon leader the whole time. _Serves you right for trying to violate me,_ she thought, holding back a smug grin.

"B-but we knocked him half to scrap!" Terrorsaur retorted. "No way he'll be flying anywhere."

"Yezzz, we will beat them to the ztazizz pod eazzily!" Waspinator said.

"If not effortlessly," Starfeather added.

"Hmm," Megatron thought over their excuses and reasons. He decided to penalize them later for something else. "Yes, but they will still make an attempt... A land body, yes. Leaving only Optimus, and perhaps one other, to guard the base..." He formed a plan swiftly. "You three will proceed immediately to the location of the stasis pod. Ensure that the protoform inside is reprogrammed as a Predacon. Go!"

With the order, the three went beast mode and soared out of the base and high into the sky. They went on in silence for a while before Starfeather spoke. "Hey, guys? There's something I need to ask you."

"What?" Terrorsaur wondered.

"What would you say if I said that Megatron... tired to... rape me last night?"

"He what?" Terrorsaur and Waspinator both exclaimed.

"That's why I was so off at that battle... and I'm sure he's gonna try again," she stated darkly.

"And you're telling us this because...?" Terrorsaur wondered, not seeing anything he could do about it.

"Because I was wondering if you two would be willing to help keep him away from me," she replied.

"How can we do that?" Terrorsaur asked, sounding skeptical. "Megatron is... well, Megatron. He can do what ever the Pit he wants whether we like it or not."

"Well, if at least one of you is near me all the time when I'm not in my quarters, he just might back off," she explained.

"Wazpinator agreezz," the wasp said, coming over and resting on her back as they flew. "Wazzpinator like Bird-bot."

Starfeather gave him a look as he settled himself on her back. He wasn't exactly the lightest bug in the world. She kept that comment to herself, only smiling in appreciation that he would help her. "Thanks Waspinator..." She paused. "Could you maybe get off now?"

Waspinator giggled and lifted off, buzzing along between her and Terrorsaur. The pterodactyl looked at her and shrugged. "Guess you can count me in too," he offered.

She smiled warmly at her wing mates, touched by how quickly they agreed to help her. "D'aww, you guys are so sweet," she said, her raven eyes sparkling in the starlight.

Terrorsaur suddenly felt hot in the face. What has gotten into him lately? First, he played with her as a human and _actually_ enjoyed it. Second, he wondered why he felt so sympathetic toward her when he heard her crying the day she became a Transformer. Third, he regretted speaking gruffly to her. And now, freely offering to help protect her from Megatron?

_Eh, I must have a lose wire connection somewhere,_ he concluded.

-x-

The three flyers followed the Maximals (Cheetor, Rhinox, and Rattrap) at a distance once they were in sight or as much as they could be through the snowstorm.

"M-my j-joints are f-f-freezing!" Starfeather chattered.

"S-so are mine, b-but we gotta f-follow through with M-m-megatron's orders," Terrorsaur replied, also shivering from the icy winds and pelting snow. It was getting harder and harder to fly as their joints stiffened from the cold.

Surprisingly, the storm soon cleared and flying became a little easier. They went higher into the sky so as not to be spotted. Starfeather looked down at the snowy terrain. There was a deep chasm up ahead and a natural icy bridge connecting the two sides. She breathed a cloudy sigh of awe.

"The v-view's amazing!" she whispered.

"What B-b-bird-bot zzay?" Waspinator asked.

"I s-said the view is am-mazing," she repeated, indicating the vast glittering landscape below.

"It's just tons of f-frozen water particles," Terrorsaur said passively.

"Kill-joy. Lighten up, will ya?" she teased then flew up side down above him, catching his optics.

"If I'm flying, don't you think I've lightened up enough?" He smirked.

Starfeather grinned stiffly. Flying upside down was difficult. "You have no idea how hard this is," she gritted out but faltered and flailed to stay airborne and avoid crashing into him. Waspinator and Terrorsaur laughed at her and once she righted herself, she joined with them.

Her twittering laughter sounded like soothing music to his audio receptors... Hey, wait, what? "Okay, enough talk. Let's take out the competition," Terrorsaur suggested.

"Yeah, then we can have a snowball fight to celebrate," Starfeather added.

"Wazzpinator no think zzzo."

"Let's Terrorize! Raawk!" Terrorsaur transformed to robot mode. Waspinator and Starfeather followed suit and the three dove downward.

"Incoming!" Starfeather yelled, doing a somersault and flipping out her blaster and catching it with ease.

"Show-off!" Terrorsaur screeched and did a barrel roll, activating his shoulder cannons.

The three fliers began blasting away at the Maximal ground units. Shots were exchanged and the fliers went on over head, banking back and dove into the chasm.

"What do you say we make them take the long way around?" Terrorsaur asked slyly to his comrades. Starfeather didn't respond but Waspinator nodded vigorously as he sniggered.

They flew farther apart, Terrorsaur going more to the right, Starfeather in the middle, and Waspinator to the left. They exploded through the ice bridge onto the other side, the bridge collapsing in their wake. The Maximals were left staring down at the shattered ice chunks below the shear canyon walls. The three fliers flew back around, laughing mockingly at the three Maximals. But Starfeather stopped for a second and stared apologetically at them.

"I'm sorry," she murmured then followed after her wing mates.

Cheetor crossed his arms. "I still don't get it," he grumbled. "Why doesn't she just leave them?"

"Optimus said she had her reasons," Rhinox replied. "We can't force her to do anything she doesn't want to."

"Pfft, yeah, but the Preds can," Rattrap argued.

-x-

They were in their beast modes again and were almost there. Just a little farther and they would take their prize. Starfeather regretted every minute of this mission now. The only thing that made her a bit happier was that she might have someone new to talk to. Maybe he/she would even be a flier. She was distracted from her thoughts when a bright orange laser beam shone from somewhere behind them, reflected off the closest moon, and connected with a point somewhere close to where they were headed.

"What was that?" she asked, not really expecting them to know either.

"I dunno, but it doesn't mater now," Terrorsaur replied. "We gotta get that pod and greet the new Predacon."

"Ooh, Wazpinator seezz the pod!" Waspinator cackled. "Only a few minutez away. Megatron will reward Wazzpinator!"

"Not if I get it first!" Terrorsaur challenged and dove for it, the wasp tailing closely.

Starfeather rolled her optics.

They soon landed, transformed, and began working on opening the pod. Starfeather was lookout and was scanning the terrain. Nothing was close but she noticed two white tigers curiously watching them a short distance away.

"Hey kitty," she called sweetly. She didn't expect them to come to her but she wanted to try.

She was surprised when one of the tigers perked its ears and took a step forward. She smiled little and knelt down. The tiger came closer, sniffing the air around her. She had always liked big cats. Suddenly, her sensors caught the Maximal signatures approaching. She stood and turned around to warn her comrades when Terrorsaur demanded Waspinator to hurry up and open the pod.

"Guys, forget the pod! The-" She was cut off when the Maximals finally did show up.

"Hold it right there!" Cheetor called, pointing his blaster at Waspinator.

"Yeah, you're messin' wit' Maximal property, ya thievin' Preds!" Rattrap spat, aiming at Terrorsaur.

"We've got a friend in there and we won't let you turn him into a Predacon!" Rhinox added, eyeing Starfeather.

Terrorsaur grinned defiantly, bringing out his own gun. "You won't stop us Maximals!" he retorted. Waspinator narrowed his compound optics. Starfeather was about to say when the ground began to tremble. They all looked around and saw Megatron approaching in his beast mode, his weight shaking the ground as he charged toward them.

"They certainly shall not!" he growled and transformed. The Maximals turned their guns onto him. Starfeather thought he was scrap for sure but to her dismay, she was wrong.

"The stasis pod is ours, Maximals, for I know your weaknesses, yes." He then turned and blasted the frozen ground below the paws of the two tigers who still lingered near. They tumbled into a ditch with only one way out and that was through Megatron. The tigers growled and bared their teeth, ears drawn back. One even took a swipe at the Predacon leader. He smirked and laughed evilly. Starfeather stared in horror at what he was doing.

"Let them go!" Rhinox commanded. "They are not part of this." He was echoing her thoughts.

"That's right. Just innocent creatures," Megatron crooned. "So, surrender yourselves and the pod or they shall be terminated."

The tigers continued to growl and, by now, their neck fur was bristling and their ears were pinned back all the flatter. Cheetor was the first to stand down, then Rhinox, but Rattrap didn't go as quietly.

"You win, you depraved wad of stinkin' slag!" he cursed.

"Cultivated as always, even in defeat." Megatron mused. Rattrap glared at him. "Now," he went on as he strolled over to the fliers. "Witness my moment of triumph as I reprogram the protoform Maximal within the pod into a Predacon, yes."

Starfeather put her fists on her hips and narrowed her optics. She couldn't believe that Megatron had just brought two average _tigers_ into the battle by threatening to kill them if the Maximals didn't abide to his wishes. They were just tigers, nothing special. However, they were _white_ tigers. Those were rare and were supposed to be extinct in the wild. Apparently, in this reality or whatever, they were not or not yet. But that didn't matter. They were just tigers, incapable of understanding what was going on around them.

Megatron ordered Waspinator to finish unlocking the pod hatch. He did so and Terrorsaur slowly opened the door, its hinges stiff with cold. His optics widened and he gasped when he saw inside.

It was empty.

"What?" Megatron roared. "Where is the Maximal?"

"Right here," a calm, deep male voice said from behind them. "Tigatron: Maximize!" One of the tigers, apparently not a real tiger after all, transformed and shot a powerful blast at Megatron who fell backwards and dragged Waspinator down with him. Terrorsaur and Starfeather ducked but soon the four were back on their feet.

They were taking heavy fire. Starfeather was hit in her leg and collapsed to the snow. It hissed and melted against the heat of the internal fluid leaking from the wound. Optimus soon appeared, to Megatron's annoyance, and forced them to retreat. He, Waspinator, and Terrorsaur were able to get away but Rattrap had Starfeather pinned.

"You and your _buddies_ are gonna pay for takin' out dat bridge back dere," he threatened, tapping his blaster barrel to her forehead.

"None of that was my idea, I swear! Please, hurt me," she whimpered, trying to shrink back.

Optimus came up behind him. "Stand down Rattrap. I have a better idea of what to do with her," he said with a thoughtful grin. The raven stared up at him helplessly. "I have a new offer for you. This will be risky but how about you become a spy for us? You report to us if the Predacons are planning anything or try to delay them during pod recovery missions."

Starfeather was taken aback by his sudden offer. Her? A Maximal spy? She thought about it for a few minutes, the others staying quiet as they waited. Finally, she managed a smile and looked at her new commander. "You've got yourself a spy, sir." she replied and saluted.

Optimus chuckled. "Welcome to the team Starfeather," he congratulated, holding out his hand to help her up. "Now, you better catch up with the others."

She stood shakily but transformed and hovered in place. "I'll report back to you when I can, sir." She then turned and flew off to follow the others. She felt like a great weight had been lifted from her back but a new one came in to replace it. Now, she had a **big** secret to keep from her wing mates. Her loyalties lay on the other side now but she had to prove that she was still a Predacon to Megatron and her wing mates. This would be difficult, but nothing in life was easy, was it? She would figure out a way.

The other Maximals had been watching the whole time. Rattrap and Cheetor weren't too happy about this. "Optimus, what if she's faking? What if she's just doing this to get our plans and help the Preds?" Cheetor questioned.

"Yeah, you know what she's done," Rattrap added, referring to Dinobot's current injuries and the broken ice bridge.

"You didn't learn anything about her when you met her a week ago?" Optimus asked, almost passively.

"Only that she likes nature and thinks the Preds are her pals."

Optimus sighed, shaking his head with annoyance, and turned to their other new recruit. "I'm sorry for the delay- Tigatron?" he apologized. "I am Optimus Primal, the Maximal commander."

"It is well, Optimus Primal." Tigatron nodded in acknowledgment. He was in his beast again along with the others. "But I do not fully understand what has just happened. Who was that Predacon?"

"I'll explain everything once we get back to the base, about a hundred klicks due south."

"No, I'm sorry but... I cannot come to your base," Tigatron replied. "You see, my identity circuits were damaged in the crash and I... I'm still more tiger than Maximal. Until my identity circuits restore themselves, I feel my place is here in the wilds with... with my own kind." He glanced back at the other tiger lingering a short distance from the group. "But, you can count on my loyalty."

"Sounds good to me," Rhinox said with a nod of approval.

"Yeah, we could use a spy up here. You know, 'case the Preds get up to somethin'." Rattrap added. "And if we can't count on ink feathers."

Optimus gave the rat a sharp look before facing Tigatron again. "Then it's settled."

-x-

When Starfeather finally got back to the base, Scorponok was stuck waiting for her return.

"What took you so long?" he demanded.

"Well, you guys left me behind to fight off just about all the Maximals _plus_ the new one all by myself. Wouldn't it take you a while to blast their butts outa your face too? Thanks so much for all your help," she ranted, her last sentence dripping with sarcasm. She pushed past him, not listening to his whining retorts. Deciding not to bother with a C.R. tank, she remained in beast mode and went to her quarters. She locked the door and hopped into bed. She snuggled into her sleeping bag after twisting it into a nest like shape. Fluffing out her feathers, she rested her tired head on her purple stuffed crocodile, who was tucked neatly under her wing.

"'Night Squishy," she murmured to the stuffed animal and drifted into recharge.


	11. From the Shadows

**#11 - From the Shadows**

It had been a week since Starfeather had joined the Maximals as an undercover agent and nothing much was going on. She was at her clearing yet again. She was endlessly thankful that Megatron allowed her an hour off duty every day. In fact, that was the only thing she was thankful for about him. She enjoyed the bliss of her patch of heaven where she could do what ever she pleased, especially draw and sing and play music. She loved to sing when she was all alone, to hear her own voice echo back as if someone were singing along. In fact, she was singing Angel by Sarah McLachlan right now.

She was in beast mode. Her optics were closed as she stood, perched on the topmost boulder. "_You spend all your time waiting for that second chance, for a break that would make it okay. There's always some reason to feel not good enough and it's hard at the end of the day. "I need some distraction, oh a beautiful release. Memories seep from my veins, they may be empty, oh and weightless and maybe I'll find some peace tonight."_"

Two rabbits stared at her curiously. A doe and its fawn crept closer to the fence. A mocking bird whistled at her from a branch above her. She glanced up at it and cawed back at it. It shook its tail stiffly and flew off. She giggled and continued.

"_In the arms of the angel far from here, from this dark cold hotel room and the endlessness that you fear; you are pulled from the wreckage of your silent reverie. You're in the arms of the angel, may you find some comfort here._"

A cheetah joined the on-lookers. It perked its ears and Starfeather thought she saw it smile. She dismissed the thought though and continued.

"_You're so tired of this straight line and everywhere you turn there's vultures and thieves at your back. The storm keeps on twisting, you keep on building the lies that you make up for all that you lack. "It don't make no difference escaping one last time. It's easier to believe in this sweet madness, oh this glorious sadness that brings me to my knees." In the arms of the angel far from here, from this dark cold hotel room and the endlessness that you fear; you are pulled from the wreckage of your silent reverie. You're in the arms of the angel, may you find some comfort here._"

The cheetah sat at the fence, staring intently at her, its green eyes wondering at her.

"_You're in the arms of the angel, may you find some comfort here._" She finished with a deep bow to her animal audience, stretching out her wings to either side for drama. She was nearly scared out of her feathers when the cheetah clapped its paws and spoke up.

"That was great!" he cheered. Obviously, it was Cheetor. "That was one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard."

"Thanks..." Starfeather responded automatically, turning hot under her feathers and looking away. She shifted her weight in embarrassment. "Y-you heard that, huh?"

"You bet I did," Cheetor nodded then effortlessly leaped over the fence and padded toward her. "Anyway, Optimus sent me to see if you were okay and get a report."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just tell him to slag Megatron's perverted butt ASAP," she scowled.

The cheetah looked confused. "What're you talking about?"

She sighed. She wished she kept her big mouth shut... again. But then again, she figured she should at least let one of her new team mates know what was going on behind the scenes. Cheetor was certainly a better option than Rattrap. "Well," she started, collecting the dark memories. "It... it happened a few days after Tigatron was rescued..."

_-Flashback-_

"Yeah, goodnight to you too." Starfeather mumbled. Scorponok had shot a testy remark at her when she said she was going to call it a day. She waved to Waspinator as they passed and went up to her door. She typed in her pass code and entered. She stepped inside, the door shutting behind her, and she flicked on the light. When she turned around to flop onto her bed, she froze dead in her tracks. Her worst nightmare was there, waiting for her.

He smirked victoriously at her. She took a step back, reaching for the door key pad to try and escape. But he was too quick. Before she could flinch, he had her throat in his grasp. Her aqua green optics widened and she grasped at his fingers to vainly try and release his grip.

"H-help!" she choked but it was too frail to be heard by the audio receptors of her friends.

"You will be mine this time, my dear," Megatron purred into her own audio receptor before he knocked her out cold. She was overcome with a dizzy sleepiness and she felt herself hit the floor. From then on, it was just fearful blackness.

When she came to, her neck was sore and her head was spinning. The room was dark but she could see the flickering reflection of C.R. fluid from Megatron's personal C.R. tank/hot tub. She groaned as she reached up for her head. She suddenly felt sick and went to sit up to keep herself from throwing up but someone grabbed her by her wing and yanked her back down.

She yelled with the sharp pain and whirled around to see who dare touch her wing. Her optics widened with fear as she stared into Megatron's face. She was so close that she could smell his hot breath. He was smiling that sickening smirk at her. She narrowed her optics and bared her teeth.

"If you think that I'm-"

"Why must you be so incorporative, my dear?" he interrupted, speaking in a dark yet sweet voice. "You may just enjoy yourself." Before she could blink, he held her down with his own weight and closed the gap between their faces.

She shrieked when his lips connected with hers. She tried to push him away but he was too strong. He only pulled her closer, crushing her. She couldn't breathe unless he allowed her too.

He tried to deepen the forced kiss but she bit down, hard. He jerked back, spitting energon mixed with oil from his mouth as she tried to spit his taste and blood out of her mouth.

He turned back to her, growling, "How dare you!"

She snarled defiantly at him, panting.

Megatron hit her across the face and she fell back. Her optics brimmed with tears of hatred and pain, her cheek throbbing. She shot him an infuriated glare. He growled again and pinned her down on the floor. His magenta optics seemed to burn into her very spark. She wanted to scream but her voice emitter failed to respond. She gasped for air, trying to scoot away but he held her fast. She continued to struggle.

He chuckled evilly as he moved his face closer to hers, blood dripping from his lip, and murmured, "Struggle all you want. It makes it more interesting."

Suddenly, an idea formed in her head. She had seen this done in movies before. She glared defiantly back at him. "You want me to struggle? Okay, take THIS!"

Before he could try and guess what she was talking about, she tensed and collided her forehead with his face as hard as she could. That caused him too loosen his grip a little, enough for her to get her legs underneath and kick him off. He landed in a heap. He managed to get on one knee but his nose was met with Starfeather's foot. He fell backward, more blood trickling down his face. She kicked him in the abdomen and he groaned but staggered to his feet. Though his vision was clouded, he moved to lunge at her. She met him with a fierce right hook. Her fist connected with his jaw and he skidded to a crashing stop against a wall. He was barely conscious.

She stood there, panting. She wiped his blood from her lips and chin, now mixed with a little of hers that trickled from her nose. She was mad enough slit his throat and let him bleed to death. But... something didn't feel right about the thought. What would the others say? What would the Maximals think of her? A hero? A murderer?

Scorponok would certainly try to kill her. She knew Terrorsaur would be happy that Megatron was gone as he could take the opportunity to lead. The Maximals would have one less Predacon to worry about but... the odds would be uneven. But why did she care if they were outnumbered? She was a Maximal. She wanted her side to win. Why couldn't she just finish it?

Her thoughts were broken when she heard Megatron moan and try to get up. She panicked and quickly kicked him in the side of the head and he was out.

Then slowly, she took a throwing star with feather shaped blades from a dispenser on her lower arm above her wrist (she had discovered these weapons a few days ago in a battle simulation). She fingered the sharp and deadly weapon between her hands, her mind heavy with the decision.

She bit her lip. Her optics blurred. Her mouth went dry. Her stomach churned. Her spark beat was fast. She shut her optics tightly as she flung the star.

It hit its target...

The floor at Megatron's feet.

She couldn't do it. She just couldn't do it.

She covered her face and fled the room. She couldn't go to sleep now. She wanted to be alone, to go to her secret place. She raced through the hallways but literally ran into someone.

"Hey, what's the- What happened to you?" It was Terrorsaur. He looked her over and saw that her forehead dented, her cheek was dented, her nose was bleeding, and it looked like someone had sat on her. She sobbed and did something he really didn't expect. She fell into his arms and she cried into his chest, clinging to him in a death grip around his waist. He flinched. He wasn't sure what to do. He could only watch as she cried with fright at what had and happened to her.

Tentatively, he put his hands on her shoulders and gingerly pulled her off of him. To his relief, she loosed her arms and took a step back.

She sniffed and wiped away her tears away. "I-I'm sorry."

What was she apologizing for? She didn't do anything... Megatron did. "No. I should've known he would try while you were asleep, that fraggin' spawn of a glitch."

They stood this way for several minutes, Starfeather soaking in the comfort of her wing mate's presence and Terrorsaur clinging to her quivering shoulders, determined not to let Megatron touch her again. Suddenly, the two noticed the position they were in. Terrorsaur promptly let go of her shoulders and Starfeather straightened up, beginning to blush despite all that had happened.

She stuttered for a moment until words finally formed. "I-I need to go," she whispered quickly and slipped past him, running lightly down the hallway.

He went to say something as she went by but the words died before he could get them out. He could only watch, yet again, as she ran away out of the base.

Terrorsaur hit himself mentally. What was wrong with him? He allowed her to touch him like that and didn't even think about shoving her away? He never let _anyone_ touch him like that. He didn't mind protecting her from Megatron because that meant he could slag the stupid saurian but if it meant that she would cling to him like a sparkling to its mother...

Terrorsaur was jerked from his thoughts when he heard the door to Megatron's room swoosh open. He ducked into his own quarters before the Predacon leader saw him. Megatron stalked past, wiping blood from his bleeding mouth. The red mech smirked to himself, seeing what damage Starfeather had done.

"That girl will pay for this. Oh yes, she will pay. I'll make sure of that," Megatron growled to himself.

Terrorsaur narrowed his crimson optics. Though he didn't understand why he acted so strangely around her, he understood that this was wrong. He wasn't going to stand for a femme being punished for defending herself. Femmes were not some thing to be toyed with whenever one so chose. He soundlessly crept towards Waspinator's room.

_-End Flashback-_

"I... I went to my room for the night but Megatron was there. He took me to his room and tried to subdue me. I fought back and knocked him out. I left and locked myself in my room for the rest of the day..." Starfeather said. She told half of the truth, thinking that some details weren't necessary.

Cheetor stared wide-eyed at her, his mouth hanging open. He was at a loss for words.

"Yeah, I know... hard to believe isn't it?" she said, looking up from her feet.

"That... that's horrible!" he exclaimed, leaping to all fours. The fur on his neck and shoulders bristled. "You gotta get away from there!"

"No!" she shouted without thinking. Realizing how she had said it, she recoiled and spoke softer. "No... If I left, I'd be forced to fight my two best friends. They need me. Besides, I can take care of myself. And if I left, I couldn't report what they were planning."

"Are you sure you can handle _Megatron_?" Cheetor questioned. He was concerned about her, even though he didn't trust her. The strange thing was, he trusted that her story was true.

"I knocked him out once, didn't I?" she argued

"Who's to say you can't the next time?" he countered.

"I'm fighting for my life! Besides, I _want_ to stay. How many times do I have to say it?" she snapped. "I'm on your side but I'm not living in your base. Wait, that reminds me. There's another stasis pod orbit decaying," She gave him the coordinates.

Cheetor nodded but still eyed her. "Thanks, I'll tell Optimus."

"Whatever you tell him, please **do not **tell him about Megatron. If you do, I'll slice your tail off and hang you by it," Starfeather threatened, hunching her shoulders to look menacing.

He gulped silently, glaring at her. "Fine," he growled after a long pause. He turned around and raced away. _She may have a pretty voice but that says nothing about her personality,_ he thought heatedly.

She watched him go and realized what she had just said. What was wrong with her? Why had she threatened her comrade like that? Maybe she shouldn't have told him in the first place. She thought about calling Cheetor back and saying she was sorry but remembered that the Predacons were able to hack into communications by the Maximals. She didn't want to get caught talking to him. Shaking her head at herself, she took flight.

-x-

"Megatron," Tarantulas was saying. "I have what I need to rebuild the portal. Why have you not requested that I perform the next step in the mission?"

"Because Tarantulas," Megatron replied, fingering his chin thoughtfully. "My intentions for this war have changed. I am no longer interested in human drones. There is something about this planet and I intend to discover what its secrets are and exploit them, yes..." He lost himself in thought for a moment before turning back to his scientist. "You are dismissed."

The spider glowered before nodding. "As you wish, sir." He slightly bowed and left the main control room, grumbling. This ruined everything...

Megatron remained in the command center, his hand still to his chin. "I will sway her yet..." he muttered. "Oh _yes_, she will be mine."

**AN:** Song: **Angel** by _Sarah McLachlan_


	12. Double Jeopardy: Loyalties

**#12 - Double Jeopardy: Loyalties**

Starfeather was beginning to suspect that Tarantulas wasn't really working on finding a way to change her back and send her home. She had tried to ask a few times and he wouldn't answer, just yell at her to mind her own business. Disheartened, she could do nothing but accept that she was going to be stuck like this for the rest of her life. Though she decided that being a Transformer wasn't bad, she just hoped that she wouldn't have to fight the rest of her life.

This being the case, she needed to completely rewrite her plans for her future. Before she made any permanent decisions, she would need to find out more about the Transformers' home. All she knew so far was that it was another planet known as Cybertron.

One thing she would like to do was when she got to this Cybertron, she would get some proper education and find a job. Maybe she would go into the medical field seeing as she already had some skills in that area. Maybe she would find a nice guy and settle down. Or maybe she could do what she always fanaticized of doing, becoming a singer. Sure, she had some confidence issues but she would get over it. All great singers and speakers got nervous sometimes, right?

At any rate, Starfeather was beginning to come to terms with the fact that she may never see her friends and family again. It was a hopeless thing, like being thrown in prison for life, but she knew she had no choice. Life went on and she needed to follow.

-x-

At the Maximal base, things weren't going so good. The stasis pod that Starfeather had informed them about had landed in generally the same area she had specified but they were unable to retrieve it. They had been out numbered and it was as if the Predacons knew exactly when and where they were going to be.

"All this seems mighty suspicious," Rhinox said, mostly to himself.

"Like some rat slipping info," Cheetor put in. This comment naturally offended a certain shorter Maximal. "Speaking meteorically that is." he quickly added. Rattrap huffed.

There was a pause before Dinobot made his own opinion. "It was Rattrap who led us into the canyon and nearly to termination."

"What're ya tryin' tah say, ya big lizard head?" Rattrap retorted.

"That's ridiculous!" Rhinox exclaimed.

"Rattrap wouldn't do that! I say it was Starfeather!" Cheetor replied.

"Well, I'm not so sure," Optimus said. "We didn't tell Starfeather a thing about our strategy to get the pod." He knew for a fact that it wasn't the raven or Rattrap that was doing this, there had to be something else...

"But she's the one who warned us about the pod landing in the first place," Cheetor countered.

"And she didn't give precise coordinates _and_ she wasn't even at the attack," Optimus pointed out. Before anyone could argue, he ordered to speak with Rattrap alone, leaving the others to wonder.

-x-

Later that afternoon, Starfeather had retreated to her private place after having yet another cat fight with the new Predacon, Blackarachnia. She was very attractive and she made sure to rub your face in it though wouldn't let you touch. She was smart too and made sure you knew that.

The raven was pulled from her thoughts when she heard jets in the distance. When she looked up, she saw Optimus Primal coming. She watched him land a few feet in front of her and revert to his beast mode.

"Hey Optimus, sir!" she greeted with a salute. "Sorry about you not getting the pod but I don't think you missed much." she said.

"Yes, about that," he began. "You wouldn't happen to know if the Predacons are hacking our communications or anything, would you?"

"Yes, they are... but I don't know what their doing. Megatron just calls it code breaking. Some kind of decoding chip or something," she explained the best she could.

"Would you know where to look if I was to request that you uninstall it and bring it to us?"

"I'm really not sure."

Optimus nodded. "That's alright, I'm planning on sending in Rattrap to take a look so you be on the alert." he informed.

"Yes, sir." Starfeather nodded.

-x-

That evening, Terrorsaur had been sent out to take care of a Maximal trespasser. Starfeather knew who it was and had requested to also go on the mission but Megatron refused. She just hoped that her wing mate wouldn't blast Rattrap to scrap. So you can imagine she was quite surprised when Terrorsaur brought him back in one piece and listened what he had to say. He had come to her and Waspinator first, away from everyone else.

"This is the perfect chance to take Megatron out of the picture and make me the new leader!" Terrorsaur was saying, Rattrap standing beside him. "I will ensure that Megatron will go out with as much suffering as you deem worthy, Starfeather. And you Waspinator, you will finally get the respect you deserve. You name it to me, I'll give it to you."

Starfeather thought on this for a second. "Yeah, suffering by _my_ hand..." she muttered and let her imagination take over, clasping her hands together and smiling smugly. Her optics dimmed dangerously and Waspinator took a step back from her.

"W-wazzpinator want to be Zzecond in Command," he requested.

"Very well," Terrorsaur agreed. "But first we need to take care of Megatron and this is how we're gonna do it."

-x-

They were all in beast mode and in the main control room. Terrorsaur had requested a hearing so the others were all waiting to see what he had in store this time. Terrorsaur had Rattrap in a cage for the time being. He began his speech.

"Hear me Predacons! I present to you that which will tip the balance of power in the battle against the Maximals. I present you my Lieutenant, Rattrap," he announced, drawing his outstretched wing aside to make his Lieutenant visible to the others. Rattrap gave a tiny wave and Terrorsaur continued. "With the added power of Blackarachnia, who was retrieved by _my_ skill, and Rattrap, who has sworn personal fealty to _me_, we shall defeat the Maximals."

Starfeather noticed that Rattrap was making subtle hand indications as her wing mate spoke. She had to pretend to be preening her flight feathers in order not to laugh.

"But my gifts to you do not come freely," Terrorsaur added. "In return, I shall become your leader!"

"You sniveling idiot," Megatron growled then gave his answer. However, he failed to notice that Rattrap was noiselessly opening the cage door. "This Maximal is not your Lieutenant, no. He must be a spy, yes. He cannot be trusted!" No sooner said than he was overcome with an energy surge and collapsed to the floor. Terrorsaur laughed triumphantly.

"Shouldn'ta turned your back, big mouth," Rattrap chided. "Now you'll find your servo circuits scrapped." Just to enforce the point, he jabbed the device into the downed Predacon leader's side.

"Transformation has been disabled as well," Terrorsaur snickered.

"The better for you to worship your new leader, hehe. And his Lieutenant," Rattrap stated.

"All hail Terrorsaur!" Starfeather and Waspinator cheered as Terrorsaur chuckled proudly before he went on.

"Megatron is obsolete! All Predacons will swear fealty to me!"

Of course, the others weren't so easily swayed. The first to voice his disagreement was, you guessed it, Scorponok. "Not Scorponok! Scorponok loyal to Megatron!" he hissed.

"Then you are an even bigger fool than you look," Blackarachnia commented bitterly. That was followed by Tarantulas stating how direct she was as well as lovely. Starfeather made a soft 'pfft' noise. The two spiders glared at her before Tarantulas continued.

"We should debate this in private, not in front of the _Maximal_."

"Very well," Terrorsaur grudgingly agreed. "Waspinator, take Megatron to the brig. Starfeather, accompany Rattrap and take him out of audio shot."

Once they were gone, the remaining group began arguing. Blackarachnia seemed to remain neutral about the situation, finding faults with both leaders. Tarantulas merely agreed with her. Scorponok would only follow Megatron.

While this was going on, Starfeather let Rattrap wander the base until he found what he was looking and he came right back. He gave her a wink, letting her know that he got what he needed.

"You fools!" Terrorsaur interrupted their bickering. "With the Maximal spy and Blackarachnia, we will defeat the Maximals once and for all!"

"I will not follow you, Megatron is our true leader!" Scorponok continued to be stubborn.

"Enough! I am your new leader!" Terrorsaur tried to sound anything but anxious. It seemed like every reason he could think of for them to abandon Megatron and follow was thrown right back in his face. He turned to Waspinator and ordered him to check for any Maximals in the area or see if they were making any sort of transmissions.

However, they all somehow failed to notice that Tarantulas had slipped away. They continued to bicker, oblivious to the Maximals that were about to attack. Starfeather and Rattrap knew that they were coming but stayed silent.

Waspinator, who had returned and reported no signatures or transmissions detected minutes before, was the first to a computer to see what was wrong. "Maximal attack!"

"What? Why were we not warned by the code breaker? Where's Tarantulas?" Terrorsaur questioned.

Blackarachnia looked around. _Yes, where is Tarantulas?_ she thought.

"Maximal code breaking deactivated. Shields damaged," Waspinator continued.

Just when Starfeather was going to ask for plan of attack, Megatron came out of nowhere. Her beak fell open in surprise. How in the world did he get out? He glared at her and the rat before turning to Terrorsaur.

"Well, _leader_, how shall we respond?" he requested silkily.

"Me-Megatron! You- you will allow me to lead?" Terrorsaur asked shakily, not believing his audios.

"A wise tyrant always allows the fool take the lead in a crisis," Megatron replied.

Starfeather had to bite back a snappy retort. She just settled with glaring him and ruffling her feathers angrily.

_I'm not a fool! I'll show you,_ Terrorsaur thought. "Release my Lieutenant a-and prepare to counter attack! Predacons: Terrorize!" he ordered, his voice high with nervousness. Everyone did so. Scorponok did because Megatron was there. Shortly, everyone was outside and firing upon the Maximals, even Rattrap. Starfeather couldn't help but wonder if he felt the same way she had the very first time she fought against them.

Terrorsaur commanded Rattrap to fire on Optimus. Starfeather was close enough to hear what they were saying and gasped. She looked up after blindly shooting at Dinobot. No! Rattrap hit him! Blackarachnia was there to meet him once he fell. She was about to blow his head off when Cheetor came up, plasma cannon blazing.

Starfeather watched in awe as the she spider took the hits without even flinching. When Cheetor was close enough, she kicked him down but left him and ran off. She was stronger than Starfeather was! She narrowed her aqua green optics. "I'll show her," she hissed.

She should have been paying more attention because Dinobot had slipped past her and reached Terrorsaur and Rattrap. Megatron was there and took hold of Dinobot while he was distracted. He tested the rat's loyalty to the Predacons and he showed his true colors by blasting at Terrorsaur rather than Dinobot. Optimus called off the attack and the Maximals left. That didn't stop Starfeather from taking a shot at the rat's backside. She stuck her tongue out at him when he glared back. Optimus also gave her a stern look about her inappropriate behavior.

She sighed as she stepped away from her sheltered spot and joined the others as they gathered around Megatron, who in this may lay, had lost a front tooth. Terrorsaur was clinging to his armless sparking shoulder when Megatron began speaking.

"Now, which of you _glorious_ _victors_ would still follow this fool's lead?" he questioned, forcing himself to stay calm.

The others backed off but Starfeather stood at the front of the line. She glanced from Terrorsaur, who was staring at her in disbelief, to Megatron. He was beginning to narrow an optic at her. She could back down and be a coward but no, she was stronger than that. She clenched her fists and stared back at him defiantly.

"He stood up for me once... so I'll stand up for him. I'll still follow his lead, no matter what you say or _do_." she declared knowingly. "I am not a weakling."

The others behind her gasped. Terrorsaur continued to stare at her. He couldn't believe she was doing this for him after such a miserable loss. Megatron just grinned and crossed his arms. "You are a bold one, Starfeather. I like that in a femme. Sadly, in this case, it will not help you."

She knew that she might be forced to fight Megatron but she had barely been damaged in the battle so she thought she had a chance. She had knocked him out once so she could do it again. She squared her shoulders and willed her throwing star dispenser to open. "You're right, it may not help me. But I won't be a coward this time," She raised her arms and pointed them at him, baring her fangs, murder flashed in her optics. "Bring it on, Mega-glitch."

Over confidence brings down the greatest warriors. Before she could react, he shot a plasma beam at her middle. She was blasted back against a rock, crying out in pain and shock. She forced herself to raise an arm again and shot several stars at him. One stuck him in the chest, the rest missed him and lodged into the rocks behind. Her one hit didn't even phase him.

Fortunately, the beam didn't go completely through her but it did leave a pretty good sized hole in her waist. Broken wires hung out, giving off sparks. Her internal systems were exposed, some were damaged. Alarms blared in her head as she slid off the rock and curled up in a ball on the ground. Megatron smirked again and continued.

"And thus ends the glorious reign of Terrorsaur: a lost battle, missing spiders, a single injured follower, and who-knows what damage inflicted by the Maximal spy!" While he was saying this, he brought his face closer to Terrorsaur's to stare him down. Terrorsaur couldn't return the glare. His gaze came to rest on his downed wing mate. He didn't understand. Why had she stood up when he had lost?

-x-

Everyone else had gone inside, but not her. Starfeather stayed at the foot of the rock, wallowing in dejection and pain. She had been humiliated in front of everyone when she tried to be strong. She couldn't move anyway so, unless someone came to her aid, she was pretty much stuck until she had an energon surge.

Speaking of which, that same substance mixed with oil and other of her bodily fluids was pooling around her from her open wound. She had to stay curled up in order to slow the bleeding. She sighed shakily as tears threatened to fall. No. She would not cry. She shut her optics shutter tight to hold them back but they leaked out anyway.

She was feeling faint now. Her internal computer was telling her to seek a C.R. tank and get repaired or she would go into stasis lock. She would rather go into stasis and die then face Megatron again.

She was slipping away now, into the welcoming world of cool dark unconsciousness. Her limbs were relaxing from their tense state. Her optics where dimming... but she could see someone coming. Her scanners where too disoriented to tell who it was but she could tell it was someone friendly. Her sight was blurred now but she could still make out the figure coming. When it reached her, she blacked out.

-x-

When she came to, she found herself fully repaired and resting in her quarters. She opened her optics further and looked around. She saw someone in the room with her, sitting beside her bed. She stared at the red mech. "W-what're you doing here?" she asked. "Shouldn't Megatron have quarantined you?"

"He said my failure was a better punishment," Terrorsaur answered darkly but changed the mood. "And I'm just giving you a little something for you loyalty," he said with a small grin.

"Are... are you the one that came to me?"

"Eh, don't mention it kid."

She smiled. "I'm not really a kid anymore, y'know."

He shrugged. "Have it your way."

With that, he got up and reached out a hand to help her up. She took it gratefully and stood before him... a bit closely than she would have liked. They glanced away and she eased off to the side. She had to get away. "Well, th-thank you for helping me but I think I have to go uh, check something. Bye," she said in rushed and slipped past him and out her door.

Terrorsaur was left standing in the middle of her room, dumfounded. Why did that keep happening to them? What was going on? He sighed. At least he had one 'bot he could count on when he needed it. He just wondered if it would ever get either of them killed.


	13. The Probe: Distance

**#13 - The Probe: Distance**

It had been over two weeks since the failed take-over and she was itching for some real decisive action. Petty squabbles were getting old and she was down right sick of monitor duty. Going back and forth from the Standing Stones wasn't too much fun either. She wondered why Megatron had suddenly gained such an interest in the monument. All she and the scout group did was trace the markings that were there on the stones and calculating the distances between the stones and their positions. She had no idea what he wanted with those but she had to do what she was told.

Starfeather was at her clearing, sitting cross-legged on top of the stone hill. Today, she was playing her recorder. The tune of The Voice by Celtic Woman floated all around the clearing and into the near by trees. Little did she know that someone had jumped the fence behind her and was listening in appreciation to her musical gift.

When she heard the clapping of large paws after she finished, she nearly jumped out of her metal skin. "Eep!" _Not again._ She whipped around to see who it was. "Oh, hehe- hi Tigatron," she greeted nervously. "H-how long have you been there?"

"Long enough to know that you can play wonderful music on that instrument very well," the tiger replied.

She blushed. "Thanks," she said as she put her recorder down. "So, what's the good word?"

"And good it is. Cybertron is coming," Tigatron answered. "A temporal probe has been detected. However, the first attempt to contact it failed but it will circle around again. We are planning to build a stronger communications tower slightly inside Predacon territory and we need you to keep their attention away from us, if possible."

Starfeather was left speechless for a moment. "Cybertron is... coming?" she repeated. No, this was too soon! She couldn't abandon her friends yet! She needed to figure out how to let them go and... She shook her head to clear it. "O-okay, I'll try."

Tigatron cocked his head, sensing her distress. "Is there something wrong?"

"No, it's just I... I don't want to leave..."

He looked at her sympathetically. He didn't want to leave either, but hers could be another reason than his. "You don't want things to change again for you. I can understand that but change is a part of life like the turn of the seasons."

"But seasons return after a year. We _won't_ be returning," She sighed, her shoulders drooping along with her wings. She dropped her gaze to her hands that were resting in her lap. She closed her optics when she felt moisture begin to accumulate. How could she call herself Terrorsaur and Waspinator's friend? She was betraying them. They would hate her to the Pit after this...

Tigatron knew that she was very close to the Predacons. He wondered why this could be so but he felt sorry for her that her "close friends" would get what was coming to them and they would look on her as the traitor she was. "You are not responsible for what your friends have done, but you knew this day would come."

"I know," she sniffed. "But... I'm not ready."

He couldn't really respond to that. He simply nodded. "We begin construction tomorrow morning." He then turned and padded away, leaping nimbly over the fence.

Starfeather sighed again. One of the tears managed to fight its way out of the corner of her optic. She wiped it away quickly. If she was going to her new home soon, she needed to read up on it. She had no idea what Cybertron was like and was curious.

She went beast mode and shot upward. She hovered for a second before diving down slightly toward the tree tops then righted herself. Flying was beyond second nature to her now. She had yet to try some more stunts besides flipping and diving and flying upside-down. She had fun learning these things with her wing mates... That thought made her spark heavy in her chest. How could she go back and face them now?

-x-

When she got back to the base and Terrorized, she shoved her sorrow and uncertainty aside. She would find a way to let them go soon. She snooped around the computers for basic info on Cybertron then, installing the data onto a pad, headed for her quarters to read in peace. Once in her room, Starfeather settled at her desk, activated the data pad, and began reading.

"There are several major cities on planet Cybertron. Each of the major cities is assigned a single purpose. Smaller cities and suburbs surround them. These are where the citizens live.

"Iaccon is the capital of Cybertron. It is not the largest of all the cities but it is where all the important meetings of war and peace and such are held.

"The next city is Omega. It is the location of the top military based Academies for the Maximals.

"Truncheon is the planetary training grounds for battle scenarios, located conveniently beside Omega.

"Techneo is somewhat related to Omega but its academies are for students who want to study more about other subjects such as medicine or engineering. There was some argument as to whether or not a military Academy should be here as well but the High Counsel denied it.

"Pinion is where all prisoners are held until either their sentences are carried out or they are executed for their crimes.

"Calumet is where most go to live after they retire from their work or military lives or want a break from the stresses of everyday life. It is a peaceful city brimming with classy neighborhoods and entertainment complexes.

"Delta is where all imports and exports are shipped in and out to all other cities and places on Cybertron. This city is also the main space port and traveling transit center to get to city to city. There are also several monitoring stations connecting to orbiting satellites to survey deep space that check for invaders, natural phenomena, and all manner of things.

"The place we gain most of our refined and recycled resources such as metals and usable energon is Pactolus.

"The final city is hardly a city at all but the most unusual and arguably beautiful one on Cybertron. Biota. It lies all along the equator in a giant ring around the planet.

"Biota is the most unusual because there are natural build ups of metals, re accumulating energon crystals, and other organic like elements have shaped themselves into a "forest". Mostly, the only inhabitants of this odd city are petro animals, artists, and people of that type. In fact, they even helped to shape some of the bizarre metals into objects and formations from other worlds, including Earth, to name one.

"Another odd thing about Biota is that it is very gradually spreading outward from Cybertron's equator and slowly attempting to consume the whole planet in biomechanical elements. However, constant construction and maintenance have kept this unruly land under control.

"There are also natural streams and pools of oil. This is one reason no one has made any sort of battle attempt here. If such an attack were to occur, there is a large probability that the missile fire and laser blasts could ignite the oil and energon deposits and cause the whole planet to blow apart.

"This is just a basic rundown of the main places to see and live on Cybertron. There are hundreds of other smaller cities-"

Starfeather had read what she wanted. She shut off the data pad and left her room with it. She set it with some others on a table and went back to her room. This time, she took out her diary and put in a new entry. It had been a while since she last wrote in it.

_Date N/A_

_Dear Diary,_

_My time here is limited. The Maximals are trying to make contact with some kind of probe that Cybertron sent out to find them. I don't think I'm ready to leave this place, this battle field, my wing mates... I'm afraid. They're going to find out about my true allegiance and will hate me for the rest of time. I want to try and let them go easily, maybe make them see why I did what I did. I don't belong here anyway..._

_But I may not be leaving too much behind. I have just done some research on my new home and found it sounds quite interesting. Especially this place called "Biota". It sounds like a place I might want to live once I get to Cybertron and learn how to stand on my own two feet. Makes me wonder where all the others used to live._

She closed the beige and lavender cover and placed it back in her subspace. The tips of her fingers scrapped against something. The object's name escaped her memory so she brought it out and held it up to optic level. It was the friendship necklace she shared with Tina. This brought a sad smile and a flood of memories to the front of her mind, drowning out thoughts and plans of the future.

"I probably won't see you again... just know that I'll always be your best friend forever, no matter what separates us," she whispered sadly to it. She decided to put it on for old-time's sake and went back to her daily duties.

-x-

A few days later, Waspinator, Terrorsaur, and Scorponok had been sent out to patrol the boarder. Starfeather got the morning shift at monitor duty again. No fair! She should have gone instead of scorpion-butt! Waspinator had been upset at it too but it soon slipped his mind.

She had her elbows resting on the console and her chin in her hands. She was beginning to despise monitor duty. Tarantulas had disappeared to do some kind of experiment again and it was her job to try and find him. She hated that spider.

Suddenly, the screen switched from a river scene to where the Maximals were building the communications array. She gasped and quickly looked around to see if anyone else was near. No one was, fortunately, and she manually changed the view to another camera. She sighed with relief.

But it was of no use. Terrorsaur came back a half hour later with video feed from Scorponok of the Maximals building something on their territory. Tarantulas had two of the Maximals, Tigatron and Cheetor. His newest 'toy' could lock its enemies in beast mode. After putting the big cats under lock and key, the Predacons watched and analyzed the video several times.

Starfeather kept her mouth shut. She hopped the others would think she did so because she didn't have the foggiest idea about anything like this. However, Megatron wanted to see how much she really new about these things since she had come to them so asked her to give a suggestion.

"Um... a spying tower?" she guessed.

"Could it be a weapon?" Blackarachnia wasn't about to be outdone by an ex-human. The raven glared at her.

"It looks more like a long range signal array," Tarantulas concluded.

Megatron looked thoughtful. "Yes... but why would Optimus risk building it inside our perimeter?"

There was a groan from one of the cages. This prompted the she-spider to say, "Maybe we should ask the kittens."

"Hm, excellent idea," the Predacon leader agreed.

It was Cheetor who was waking up. He sat up and shook his head. The first thing he saw was Megatron's '.Rex head hand peering into the cage. "Whoa, talk about nightmares," the cheetah mumbled.

"Your nightmares are about to get much worse Maximal, unless you tell me about this signal array Optimus is building," Megatron threatened.

"Why don'chya ask him yourself, Mega-dump," Cheetor spat tiredly.

Megatron grabbed the cage with such force that he shook it. "You are trying my patients, feline!" Suddenly, an alarm went off. "What's that?" he demanded.

"The space scanner and it's picking up some sort of craft," Tarantulas answered, reading the diagnostics. "It'll be over the planet in ten cycles."

"The probe!" Cheetor blurted excitedly.

Starfeather bit her lip. Stupid cat! He just gave it away!

"Probe?" Megatron repeated questioningly. Putting two and two together, he formulated a plan. "Quickly, prepare for a full scale assault. The array must be destroyed. Tarantulas, bring the transformation lock lens. Starfeather, stay and guard our guests," Orders passed, he left with everyone following except Starfeather.

"Me and my big mouth," Cheetor scolded himself.

"They would have attacked the array anyway," Tigatron tried to comfort his comrade. "But at least they left us with a friend."

Starfeather looked behind her to make sure no one was there and turned back to the two. "Two lock picks coming right up." She let them out quietly and was about to tell them the way out when Tigatron spoke.

"Can you lead us to a restoration chamber so we can escape this transformation lock?"

"Sure, this way," She led them to the C.R. tanks and waited only a few moments. Once they were able to transform again, she spoke up. "Before you go, you have to nock me out."

Cheetor started to ask why then remembered. "O-okay... You won't hold it against me, will you?"

She stiffly shook her head no and tensed. "Hit me," She clenched her fists, ready to bare the pain.

Cheetor readied to land a punch. His fist held in the air and quivered a little. He really didn't want to do this. Finally, he closed his golden optics and punched her in the gut. She grunted as she stumbled back, biting back a yelp. He went and kneed her in the chest and punched the side of her head. She fell on her side and on instinct struggled to get back up, fighting the dizziness but that's when everything went black.

-x-

"That doesn't stop me from feeling guilty for beating her up like that," Cheetor was saying. The Maximals were back at the base now. Cheetor's conscience was bothering him. He felt like it was his fault that they were too late to stop Megatron because he stopped to beat up their spy to keep her hidden.

"You had too Cheetor," Optimus replied gently. "If you didn't, she might have been exposed and who knows what Megatron would do to her."

_Yeah,_ Cheetor thought bitterly. _Have his fun _then_ kill her._

-x-

"... she's wakin' up..."

_...Terrorsaur?_

"...rd-bot? ..."

_Waspinator?_

Starfeather groaned, reaching a hand to her forehead. "Wha' happened?" she asked groggily.

"We found you beat up pretty bad where the Maximals were being held," Terrorsaur explained.

"Cagezz beat up too," Waspinator added.

"Oh yeah, I left them for just a minute and heard some banging and came back to see what they were doing," she lied. "When I got there, Tigatron leaped on me and held me down while Cheetor left the room. I'm guessing he went to find the C.R. tanks 'cause he came back in robot form. That's when Tigatron left us and I tried to fight off Cheetor but he got me. It went black and now I'm here."

"He got you alright," Terrorsaur commented. "You sure you're okay?"

She sat up, managing a grin for them. "I can talk properly, can't I?"

"So, the little baby bird is finally awake," Blackarachnia interrupted, leaning in the doorway.

"Oh give it a rest, legs." Starfeather spat. "You know perfectly well I'm _not_ a baby."

"Whatever. So, do you want to hear all about our victory?" the she-spider went on.

The raven's optics narrowed, suppressing her disappointment and relief. "You destroyed the array?"

"Of course we did!" Blackarachnia scoffed. "What do you think we were doing? Having a nice little afternoon chat with the Maximals? I don't think so."

"I didn't say you weren't-"

"Stop!" Terrorsaur screeched, pressing his hands against his audio receptors. "You femmes are giving me a headache!"

"Sorry," Starfeather mumbled. Blackarachnia huffed and left. Starfeather glared at her as she left. "Can you believe her?" she growled, crossing her arms.

"Wazzpinator no like femme zzzpider bot much either," the wasp replied.

"Anyway, there's one more thing," Terrorsaur said. "Megatron is allowing us extra energon rations for our victory."

"Really?" she gasped.

"Oh yezz! Let'zzz go!" Waspinator zipped quickly out of the room. Terrorsaur started to follow but stopped and looked back, seeing that she wasn't following.

"Coming?" he asked.

Starfeather was about to say yes but paused. If she was going to leave them at some point in the future, she needed to learn to let go now. "In a little bit," she answered. "I'm still a little dizzy."

He wasn't convinced but he nodded. "Okay," And he left her.

She sighed and swung her legs over the edge of the examination table. "Yeah, I'll be there in a minute..." she murmured and sat there, twiddling her thumbs, wondering how she lived with herself.

At least she didn't need to say goodbye today.


	14. A Better Mousetrap: Chick Fights

**#14 - A Better Mouse Trap: Chick Fight**

The last week sure had some excitement. Megatron had Scorponok design a venom to try and make Optimus into a coward so that they could defeat the Maximals. However, the experiment backfired.

Right now, she was in a cleaning station cubical. She didn't have to sacrifice showers in becoming an autonomous alien robot. She did miss her hair. She missed the feeling of it around her shoulders and neck, the feeling of her fingers combing through it.

She was humming Fly Away by Sugarland as she was rinsing the suds off of her armor. She had gotten up before everyone else today and that was very unusual. She was the last one up just about everyday since her training ended. Her reason for this was she had desperately wanted to use warm water for once.

She turned off the water and sighed, "Ahh..." She shook her head and sent droplets flying from the decorative feathers and reached for the button to turn on the drying sequence. Hot air blasted through vents in the walls around her. Once dry, she turned them off and stepped out of her cubical.

It felt weird not having to get dressed and undressed. That was another thing she missed about being human; wearing clothes. The only thing she could really wear was her necklace and a plastic ring that was in the pocket of her jeans. She didn't wear her jewelry though because it got in her way.

She inspected herself in the mirror over the sinks and smoothed out the feathers on her helm. She flapped her wings to straighten out the feathers. "Man, who knew robots could be so sexy?" She laughed to herself. She didn't think she was all that attractive. Satisfied with her cleaning, she left to get her daily energon ration.

-x-

Megatron had Waspinator, Terrorsaur, Starfeather, and Blackarachnia on a new mission. They were going to plant a sonic emitter right below the Maximal base and blow a hole right into the bottom of it. Starfeather had had no time to try and warn her secret team mates about this. Megatron had sent them out to start right away and with three pairs of optics watching, she couldn't slip away to get into the base and tell all the Maximals directly or call them.

Well, one pair of optics was really watching her. Actually, four pairs on one head Starfeather wondered if Blackarachnia suspected something. Another pair would stare at her he thought she wasn't looking back. When she would try to meet his gaze he would look away. She could feel her face heating up and smiled sheepishly. _I wish Terrorsaur would stop looking at me like that,_ she thought as she went to preen her flight feathers to stop herself from giggling. The words she had said that morning after her clean up echoed back to her and she bit back another laugh.

"Wazzpinator izzz tired of this!" he complained. "Bomb fits hole, zzzee?"

"It's not a bomb you stupid bug," Blackarachnia sweetly corrected the wasp. "It's a sonic emitter. When we've placed it correctly, it will blow a nice little door right in the bottom of the Maximal base."

"We have to widen the tunnel," Terrorsaur pointed out, seeing that the device was still loosely inserted. Apparently, he had somewhat snapped out of it. He couldn't help but notice the raven had a brighter sheen today.

"So? Widen it!" the she-spider spat. "I'm soiled enough already just being around you three."

"I'll have you know that I took a shower this morning," Starfeather retorted.

"Do I look like I care?" Blackarachnia replied passively.

"Hmph! Zzpider can dig her own holezzz!" Waspinator had enough of the grunt work and zipped out of the cave.

"Waspinator! Come back!" Starfeather called but he didn't come back.

"Megatron said dig," Terrorsaur said then transformed and pointed threateningly at Blackarachnia. "So start digging!"

Starfeather shook off the frustration of Waspinator up and leaving like that. She too transformed. "I hear spiders can dig a whole lot better than birds can."

The black widow sighed, sounding tired already, also transforming. "I'm the brains of this group," she stated and whipped out her blaster and aimed at Terrorsaur. "Not the brawn." She narrowed an optic smartly.

Starfeather raised her arms and pointed her throwing star dispensers at the black and yellow femme. "Touch him and I'll turn you into pin cusion," she hissed through clenched teeth.

"Aww, the little baby bird is trying to be a big girl," Blackarachnia cooed.

"Thank you for the boost of self-confidence mommy," Starfeather retorted, warping her voice to sound babyish.

Terrorsaur smacked his hand to his face as the two femmes continued to bicker. "Why does Megatron put these two together?" he groaned.

"So what if I'm an ex-human? That doesn't make me stupid!"

"Perhaps, but it does makes you a freak."

"Like I can become human again and go home. Believe me, if I could, I would get outa your perfect little world."

"Well maybe you should try harder!"

"Well maybe you should just deal with it!"

"Would you two just stop and focus on the mission?"

Both femmes turned to face Terrorsaur and simultaneously pointed at the other, "She started it!"

"I don't care who started it, I'll finish it!" He was about ready to pull his own gun on them. "Now let's just dig!"

Starfeather glared at Blackarachnia and clenched her fist. Suddenly, she felt something shift in her lower arms and it wasn't her star dispensers. She saw the spider take a small step back and Terrorsaur's optics widen. She tilted her head questioningly, no longer angry. "What?"

"Y-your arms..." he said, pointing at her.

Starfeather looked and gasped. She had a line of feather shaped blades from her wrist to her elbow on both arms. They started short at the wrist and got longer toward the elbow before tapering off. "Wow..." she murmured.

"I'm still not digging the hole," Blackarachnia stated indignantly.

Starfeather returned to glaring at her. "You should. I don't think you do enough _manual_ work around the base."

"Oh, and you do?" the spider retorted.

"As a matter of fact I-"

"Stop it!" Terrorsaur screeched, holding up his hands in defeat. "Fine! _I'll_ dig the slaggin' hole if it'll get you both to shut up."

Blackarachnia smirked. She had won.

"But-" Starfeather was about to protest. She wouldn't mind helping him to dig it if Blackarachnia wouldn't do it. She just didn't want the sider telling her to do it.

"No buts! I'm getting down right sick of you two always at each other's necks," Terrorsaur grumbled then went to work on the crevice the sonic emitter was shoved in.

Starfeather retracted her new defense weapons and crossed her arms. She glared at Blackarachnia and saw the smirk. _Ooh, you think you've won now legs, but I'm gonna get on to you some time._

About fifteen minutes later, Waspinator came zipping back, buzzing on and on about something and they tried to get something understandable out of him. Finally, he said that Primal was on to him.

"Wazzpinator zzzay we must deal with Optimuzz firzt!" he exclaimed.

"No, we will work faster before they find us," Terrorsaur said.

"He won't be able to find us with my hollow emitter," Blackarachnia argued.

None of them could see a pair of glowing green optics in the gloom behind them or hear the almost nonexistent sound of footfalls. However, Starfeather caught something moving out of the corner of her optic. The other three continued to discus what they should do as she zoned out. She knew someone else was in the cave with them. She knew it had to be a Maximal so she didn't say anything and focused back on the others.

"There's no time for an attack," Blackarachnia said, going to finish installing the countdown sequence. "The emitter is ready. In fifteen cycles, we'll be inside the Maximal base."

That's when Tigatron showed himself. "The only place you'll be going is the scrap heap!" he growled and shot at them. They scattered to avoid the blasts so Tigatron took this opportunity to remove the sonic emitter and escape.

"Predacons: Terrorize!" Terrorsaur ordered. Everyone transformed to robot mode and chased after the white cat. They fired at him down the tunnel, the flyers from the air and the arachnid from the ground. When they turned a corner, Tigatron had disappeared.

"Where did he go?" Blackarachnia demanded.

"Right here, Predacons." answered the smooth voice of the tiger. Before any of them could react, he shot the blasters right out of their hands but that didn't stop Starfeather. She raised her arms and aimed her throwing star dispensers.

"You can't win, cat! The emitter will explode and take you with it!" the she-spider spat.

"In that case," Tigatron retorted. "Allow me to return it!" He thrust the emitter at them and it stuck fast in the ground at her feet.

"No!" she cried.

"Let's get outa here- Oomph!" Terrorsaur bumped into Waspinator when the bug was beginning to head the wrong way. It didn't take but a second for them to right themselves and zoom out of there.

"I'll laugh about that later," The raven muttered as she flew after them.

They managed to escape the cave just before the emitter exploded. Blackarachnia was furious and guess who she was going to take her anger out on? "This is all your fault!" she snapped at Starfeather. "If you hadn't been standing there daydreaming-"

The raven made an exasperated noise. "_My_ fault? How could it be my fault? _You're_ the one who set the bomb's timer!" she spat back.

"For the last time, it wasn't a bomb!"

"Not again," Terrorsaur groaned. He and Waspinator just flew on ahead. The girls fought just about the whole way back to the base. However, he would glance back every now and again. He didn't like seeing Starfeather so... upset about nothing.

-x-

"Enough!" Megatron bellowed. The two femmes were blaming the other for the failed mission and he could feel his patience ebbing away. "I'm going to crush both of you if you don't be quiet!"

Immediately, Starfeather and Blackarachnia went silent but they did continue to glare at the other. Starfeather had her feather blades out again. These new weapons had impressed the Predacon leader.

"That's better," Megatron said. "Now, I don't want to hear another word from either of you for the rest of the day or there will be consequences, yes. You are all dismissed."

Starfeather opened her mouth to say a nasty retort but just growled, turned on her heel, so to speak (she was in the air), and stormed out of the main control room. Blackarachnia did a similar thing only she went a different way. Terrorsaur and Waspinator just inched their way out.

Starfeather was going to lock herself in her quarters for the rest of the day. She was stomping down the hallway but tripped over her own feet. She fell flat on her face and cursed. "I hate that black widow," she hissed as she pounded the floor with her fist, tears of frustration and pain creeping to her optics. "I hate everything about her... I hate everyone!"

"Do you hate me too?"

She gasped and twisted over to see who spoke. _Great, he's the _last_ one I wanna see today,_ she thought. "No, I didn't mean you..." she mumbled, sitting up. "Or Waspy."

"Waspy?" Terrorsaur repeated. "When did you start calling him that?"

"Since now," Starfeather answered but refused to look at him. Her back was to him anyway. "I'm still trying to come up with a nickname for you."

He raised an optic ridge, suddenly curious. "What do you got?"

She got up and brushed herself off before answering. "Well, the best thing I could come up with was... Screechy." She smiled sheepishly.

"Screechy?"

"Y'know, your voice? It's... screechy," Starfeather suddenly felt really stupid and blushed. Wait, wasn't she just in a really upset mood? Now she was suddenly okay and now she was embarrassed? Why did she get these weird mood swings around him... and only him?

Terrorsaur thought about the name for a second before he responded. "I think that's fine, just... don't call me that in front of everyone, okay?"

She felt so relieved that she almost hugged him. She wanted to but she didn't know how he would react if she did. "Okay," she replied, smiling crookedly instead. "So, um... I'm going to lock myself in my quarters for the night so I'll see you tomorrow. G'night... Screechy." She gave a tiny wave and turned to sprint to her room.

"Wait!" He grabbed her shoulder before she could get away. "I wanna ask you something."

She stopped when she felt him touch her shoulder. She turned to look at him. "What?"

"Well, uh, Waspinator and I were wondering if you wanted to, maybe, learn a new flying stunt." he said. Why did he have difficulty talking to her all of a sudden?

"Sure! Tomorrow morning?" she wondered.

"Yeah," he confirmed, removing his hand from her shoulder. He had to force himself to do so. Why did he even _want_ to touch her?

"Alright then, I'll see you both at morning rations." She waved again and, this time, made it into her quarters and locked the door. He watched her walk away and gazed at the closed door. For how long, he didn't know. One thing he did know was that there was something different about that femme. What ever it was, he couldn't tell. She just made him feel... some many different things all at once. What was the deal here?

Starfeather sighed and plopped onto the bed. Her plans of trying to distance herself were escaping right out the window. Yet she found that she couldn't help it.

Maybe she should come out and tell them tomorrow. Maybe they would understand... What was she thinking? Of course they wouldn't! She betrayed them, was still betraying them! They would be so hurt and angry with her. She felt so sick of this guilty nagging in the depths of her spark.

Guilt wasn't the only feeling down there. There was another one. She had noticed it weeks ago but kept trying to overlook it. This feeling seemed familiar but she just couldn't place it and it felt stronger than when she had felt it before in her life. She just couldn't remember. What was it?


	15. Pain Within and Without

**#15 - Pain Within and Without**

"Ready?"

"I'm not sure about this."

"Bird-bot hazz been zaying that ever zzzince she left the bazze thizzz morning."

"Then I'll say it again; I'm not sure about this."

"Oh c'mon, we picked a spot with water, like you said, incase you don't get it the first time."

"Or twenty."

"It not that hard, Bird-bot."

The three fliers were in their respective beast modes about a mile from the base. They stood in a line on a cliff high over a pond. The two mechs were going to show their femme pal how to do a 'J' dive. They called it a J dive because you jumped or dove backwards and just before you hit the ground, you turned over and swooped back up while doing a barrel roll. They had too much time on their hands.

"Could one of you show me again? Please?" Starfeather requested.

"We've already shown you fifty times," Terrorsaur replied.

"Wazzpinator do it again!" Before anyone could say or do otherwise, the wasp had leaped over the edge. He gave a razzing cry of excitement as he spun up just before he touched the surface of the water, barely causing a ripple. He zipped back up to face the two still on the ledge.

Terrorsaur gave Starfeather an expectant look and motioned with his wing towards the edge. She gulped as she looked over the edge again. Waspinator stared at her eagerly.

_Come on Star, you can do this. You're a robot, a flying robot. You've done dives before. And you don't want to look like a scardy-cat in front of them, do you? You didn't when you were human,_ she thought. "Oh... fine!"

She spread her wings and fell over backwards down the cliff towards the water. She screamed and shut her optics as the wind rushed passed her audio receptors. Bad idea. She splashed into the water and sank down a ways before she opened her optics again. She then made her way to the surface and gasped when her head sprung out.

Terrorsaur was hovering right there to smirk in her face. "You closed your optics, didn't you?"

"Oh shut up," she growled and grabbed his foot in her beak and yanked him in with her. He let out a surprised squawk before water filled his mouth. He transformed and sprung to the surface.

"What'd you do that for?" he demanded, floating in place.

Starfeather transformed as well. "'Cause you deserved it," she grinned and dove below the surface when he went to lunge at her. He growled and hit the water with his fist. Waspinator cackled in his buzzing manor.

Terrorsaur glared at him. "What're you laughing at, bug face?"

Waspinator eeped and zoomed away. Terrorsaur sighed. Then, Starfeather soundlessly resurfaced behind him and shoved him down, giggling. He got the idea and grabbed her ankle and dragged her down with him. She punched him in the chest playfully and swam away, bursting out of the water, and soared up to the cliff ledge, laughing.

Terrorsaur followed. "Get back here ya tar drenched punk!" he yelled.

"I don't think so- ...ooh..." Suddenly, Starfeather didn't feel so good. She lowered to the ground, holding her stomach. She sank to her knees and took quick, deep breaths. She felt like she was going to vomit. But why? She had felt fine a second ago.

Terrorsaur landed beside her, no longer in a playful mood. "You alright?" he asked, concerned.

Waspinator saw what happened and had been inching forward. "Izz Bird-bot okay?"

"I... I don't know-" she was trying to say but started hacking. The two mechs weren't sure what to do. They could only watch as she tried to hold it back but she finally lost. She threw up a few times and had several dry-ups. When she gained control over herself, she curled up on the ground (away from her ick), shaking violently. Her wings wrapped tightly around her shoulders.

"Can... can you get up?" Terrorsaur asked, trying to push away his shock and took a step closer.

Starfeather shook her head. "W-what's-s-s wr-wrong with m-m-me?" she chattered. She felt so cold and her internal heating systems weren't doing any good.

Waspinator and Terrorsaur looked at each other. Then, slowly, the red mech knelt down to pick her up. She didn't feel cold to him, she felt overheated, but she was acting like she had drunk a shot of liquid nitrogen. Coolant fluid was condensing on her forehead, all over her body in fact.

"Let's hurry," he said. The two then took off back to the base.

-x-

"And that'zz when Bird-bot get zzzick," Waspinator finished. The two mechs were explaining what happened to Megatron and Tarantulas. Starfeather had been placed in a C.R. tank but that didn't work. She would still cough up when she tried to drink more energon to replace what she lost so they gave up on that.

"Oh no," Tarantulas suddenly groaned. Now he thought he knew what was wrong.

"What is it?" Megatron demanded.

"That special energon you wanted me to create to infect the Maximals," the tarantula said. During the passed week, since Scorponok's venom didn't exactly work and incase their latest plan to infiltrate the Maximal base didn't succeed (which it didn't), Megatron had him working on energon to give all the Maximals something similar to severe food poisoning. With them all sick to the stomach, they wouldn't be able to fight back. "It went missing this morning and I think she might be the culprit."

"What?" Terrorsaur and Waspinator exclaimed at the same time.

"Can you make an antidote?" Megatron asked.

"Yes, but it will take time. Time Starfeather might not have."

"What do you mean time she might not have?" Terrorsaur demanded.

"The special energon was also designed to slowly shut down the in taker's internal systems. She has about three days before- gack!" Tarantulas answered, almost solemnly, before he was grabbed by the throat.

"How could you let something that dangerous just sit out where she could get to it?" Terrorsaur yelled, grabbing Tarantulas by the neck. Hold on, _what_ was he doing?

"Terrorsaur! Release Tarantulas at once!" the Predacon leader barked. The pteranodon did so and recoiled. He didn't understand why he had got so upset. "Scorponok, go check on our downed comrade," Megatron ordered.

Scorponok transformed to robot mode and did what he was told. He went to the medical bay where the sick femme was laying asleep, at last, on an examination table. The sight of her moved even him. She was so dull looking, hooked up to a few machines to monitor her condition. He shoved these unwanted feelings of pity and sickness away and went to a screen to analyze the readings.

Her spark rate was irregular and vital system operations were gradually decreasing.

Starfeather was doing okay to say the least but it still wasn't good and wouldn't get better without a cure. Her optics flickered online dimly. She saw the Second and took the opportunity to ask, "How long was I out?" Her voice was raspy.

"Less than a cycle," Scorponok answered. "Have you discharged again since someone last checked on you?"

She nodded slowly. "Once... What's wrong with me?"

"Tarantulas could better explain. He should come here to try and formulate a cure."

She nodded again and rested her head back on the table. She felt like she had a form of stomach flue. She had had it twice before when she was human. What a Christmas and Valentine's day those had been.

-x-

Her optics widened when Tarantulas finished explaining what was happening to her. All Starfeather had really heard and understood was "you have less than three days". "I'm going to die?" she exclaimed.

"Not if I can create an antidote in time. Now hold still so I can take a DNA sample," the spider hissed, trying to hold her still so he could insert a syringe in her arm.

"No! I hate needles!" she protested.

"Would you rather I do it or die because I didn't?" he growled.

She froze and thought it through. "...will it hurt any?"

"No," _At least not much, _he thought devilishly with one of his trademarked chuckles.

She sighed. "Fine, just... get it over with."

No sooner said and he stabbed the needle into her upper arm.

She screamed. "OWW! That _hurt_ you lying son of a-"

"I've done it, get over it." The tarantula slowly pulled the needle out and left with what he needed. Starfeather growled as he stalked out. Suddenly, she felt like vomiting and leaned over the edge of her bed and gazed down at the bucket...

-x-

She was so hungry. Well, energon starved anyway. She knew that if she so much as swallowed a drop of the powering substance, it would just come right back up. She was sick of throwing up and of her insides hurting. Either she had become a hypochondriac or it really was happening but she could feel other systems beginning to malfunction.

Tarantulas said that she wasn't contagious unless someone ate her, which they all assumed that no one would likely do, so she wanted some company. She was watching her wing mates enter the med. bay.

"How you holding up?" Terrorsaur asked, trying to sound casual and not fearful of her life.

"I'm gonna die, huh?" Starfeather sighed. She picked up on his cover.

"Bird-bot not going to die," Waspinator stated determinedly, crossing his arms.

She smiled. "Believe me, I'm a fighter when it comes to my life. If I'm gonna go, I'm gonna go kicking and punching right where it hurts."

Terrorsaur smirked. "Remind me never to get you upset."

"Nope," She grinned evilly and weakly laughed as they laughed too.

"Can we play Bird-bot'zz Uno cardz game?" Waspinator asked eagerly.

Starfeather smiled. "Sure, I can sit up still." Just to prove it, she hoisted herself up and easily swung her legs over the edge of the bed. She wasn't hooked up to the machines for now so she wasn't restricted. "But I don't think I should walk. Could one of you go to my room and get it? It should be on the desk."

"I'll get it," Terrorsaur offered before Waspinator could and left the room. He didn't want that wasp going through her stuff. Wait... he was doing it again! He was acting... not normal. Before he knew it, he was standing in her quarters and sure enough, there was the game rig. He grabbed it and left before any more of these weird thoughts and feelings could make him act up again.

-x-

Starfeather had had fun last night. But today, she felt even worse and had to remain hooked up to life support machines. She could barely talk, her throat hurt so much. Things were also looking bleak for her condition. Tarantulas wasn't even half way near being close to finishing the antidote. She was beginning to suspect that he wasn't even working on it but that was stupid. Mega-pervert still wanted his way with her but he couldn't do it while she was sick.

She sighed, long and noisily. She was tired of lying around and wanted to go back to monitor duty if it meant she got to move around a little but her body felt so heavy. If she moved too much, she'd throw up what little she had finally been able to keep down.

She wondered what would happen if she did die, not about herself, but about her friends and her team mates. What would the Maximals do? Mourn her for a while then forget her? Remember her with honors? And what about her wing mates? Would they mourn her too? Would they even miss her like they said? She wondered this because she planned on telling them about her true allegiance before her end.

Then she wondered what dying would be like. Where would her spirit or spark go? Would she go to this place called the Matrix? If she did, she would be surrounded by Transformers she didn't know. Would she go to the Pit for betraying her team? Would she get reincarnated and get a second chance at life? Would she go back to her old life and body?

She shook her head. No, she wasn't going to let herself die. She would be strong and move along from this phase, it was all she had. She would live to see the end of this war. She would live to see and explore her new home, Cybertron. She would live to play another game of Uno!

-x-

Cheetor was worried today. He was worried about Starfeather. She hadn't been to her special place in days. He wondered if anything had happened to her that had to do with Megatron. The thought made him cringe. He longed to tell Big 'Bot so that they could help her... Or maybe, he could somehow trick her into tell Optimus herself.

If she was still alive.

He sighed. "I hope she's okay."

-x-

Megatron decided to pay their downed comrade a visit while she slept. He soundlessly entered the med. bay to see Starfeather sound asleep. She looked so thin and dull, it nearly made him sick. None the less, he approached her frail figure and hovered over her like a hawk waiting to make its kill.

"Sleep in peace tonight, my dear. You shall live to be mine when all is said and done," he vowed quietly. He then longingly ran a finger along her face before leaving the room.

-x-

Terrorsaur had somehow gotten it in his head that he wanted to see if Starfeather was okay. He had gotten up before anyone else and crept to the med. bay. He slipped inside like a shadow and went to her bedside.

Her silky black feathers and silver main frame were dull and hardly gave off a shine in the dim lighting. Her steel blue highlights looked almost gray. Her optics were off but he could still tell what hue they were when online.

Compared to the rest of her body, her dark optics were the only thing that appeared to hold even the slightest bit of brightness. Her face also still held some sheen. Even in her sickened state, he thought that she looked as beautiful as ever.

He winced. Where did **that** come from? He was about to smack himself to clear his mind when he felt something touch his other hand. He looked down again and saw that she had woken up.

Starfeather was extremely groggy but saw the sudden weird and shocked look on Terrorsaur's face. She was glad that he had come to see her, alone. She smiled softly and shakily reached out to lightly touch his hand. When he looked down at her, she smiled a little brighter. "Hey Screechy," she rasped.

He couldn't reply. It was like his voice emitter suddenly went out. All he could do was awkwardly return her smile as her hand gently clutched his. He slowly tightened his grasp as well. Her aqua green optics glittered with humor.

Now she knew what this feeling was. She had felt this way toward her first boyfriend. She had a crush and maybe, just maybe, it would become something more.

Suddenly, she felt a wave of dizzy tiredness wash over her like a heavy blanket. Her smile vanished and she felt faint. "T-Terrorsaur, I gotta tell you..." she managed before her optics went off and her hand went limp.

"Starfeather?" he said, his screechy voice laced with concern and fear. When she didn't respond, he squeezed her hand in both of his. "Starfeather!" he repeated.

Then, the machines she was hooked up to began beeping and the screens showed that her life signs were growing weaker. Terrorsaur glanced from her to the screens to the door, panic creeping to his systems. Finally, he laid her hand back at her side and left the room. He had to find Tarantulas and now. Starfeather's fragile life depended on it, depended on him! But when did he care so much? Sure, they were wing mates, friends even, but why was he so desperate? What was this constant fluttering feeling in the depths of his spark that caused him to think of her so and act so strange?

-x-

Rattrap had been sent to see why their spy had been absent for three days. As the rat made his way into the _Darkside_, he wondered why Cheetor had been so revved up about her being in big trouble. The strange thing was that he wouldn't say what kind of trouble and that he wanted to be the one to go check out what was wrong. Everyone could easily tell that he grown fond of the raven spy.

He crept along the duct work, listening for her voice or someone to call her name. He didn't hear anything except several 'bots walking around quickly. He went on until he came to a vent over a hallway with a door leading into the room that the Preds were coming in and out of.

He couldn't see into the room so he crawled into another duct to a vent just above the room. He had to bite back a gasp when he saw what was going on inside.

_What in the name of gouda happening to her?_

-x-

Tarantulas had just finished the antidote, though it was a small amount. It was enough, he calculated, to keep Starfeather alive long enough for him to formulate another dose. The next one would hopefully be enough to cure her and she would be back to normal in less than a day's time.

Right now, he was preparing to attempt to stabilize her systems to some degree before giving her the dosage. He had Scorponok and Blackarachnia on it as well. Megatron made sure that the she-spider wouldn't try anything funny to jeopardize the raven's life. As a mater a fact, the Predacon leader was watching the whole procedure. He lurked at one end of the room as Tarantulas prepared to insert the antidote.

"Systems stable?"

"As stable as they'll ever be," was Blackarachnia's truthful answer.

"Sparkbeat is fairly rhythmic, though steadily growing weaker," Scorponok informed.

Tarantulas grunted and lowered the syringe. He released the tiny amount of cure into her body. "It's touch and go from here until the full dosage is formulated," he anounced and left the room.

Terrorsaur and Waspinator had been watching from the doorway and stepped aside to let the tarantula out. They resumed their positions and continued their vigil.

"She's coming around," Scorponok said after a few moments.

Sure enough, there was a moan from Starfeather and a cough. She opened her optics and looked around. She tensed at the sight of Megatron but she relaxed when she saw her wing mates now entering the room and coming to her side. "What happened?" she asked as she sat up.

"Bird-bot crashed," Waspinator said.

"Tarantulas just left to create a larger amount of the antidote to cure you," Terrorsaur added.

Blackarachnia snorted and left the room. Scorponok looked to his leader and when Megatron signaled for him to leave, he did so.

"So I'm... _not_ going to die?" Starfeather murmured.

"Of course not!" Terrorsaur exclaimed.

Waspinator couldn't contain himself anymore. He took a swift step forward and caught her up in his arms in a back-breaking hug. "Bird-bot going to live!" he cried gleefully.

She gasped and laughed weakly as the wasp clung to her, cutting off her circulation. "Choking...not breathing... Waspy! I can't feel my arms!"

As Terrorsaur watched, he felt a slight twinge of something in his spark. It made him want to push the bug away from the raven and take his place. He wrung his hands as he was screaming inside, _What the __**frag**__ is going on with me?_

The pteranodon wasn't the only one watching this display of affectionate friendship. The three fliers were unaware of the Predacon leader watching from the shadows, his optics glowing with lust. None the less, he soundlessly left the room as the friends continued to talk.

"Let's make this a group hug!" Starfeather exclaimed. Waspinator got the hint and pulled a surprised Terrorsaur in.

"H-hey! What're you- Get off me!" he protested but he froze when he felt her arm come around him. Almost as if on reflex, he put his own arm around her shoulder. Her smile brightened and her optics sparkled with happiness.

"Now this is what I call a support group," she said and laughed along with Waspinator. Terrorsaur managed a slightly nervous chuckle.

Rattrap narrowed his optics, both at what Starfeather had said and the look the Pred leader had given her. _Hmm..._ He suddenly had an idea on what Cheetor, more like Starfeather, wasn't telling them. He then soundlessly pattered back the way he'd come and back to the Maximal base.

-x-

"Is this true, Cheetor?" Optimus asked.

Cheetor looked down at his feet. It seemed like anything he said wouldn't make this situation any better, for him or Starfeather. He sighed quietly and gave the only answer he could. "Yes, sir."

"Cheetor, how could you keep something like this from us?" Optimus questioned.

"She threatened me," the golden mech said helplessly.

"Whether she threatened you or not is out of the question. Her life is more important than her dignity," the Maximal leader stated.

"I know... and I'm sorry," Cheetor sighed. He shifted his weight uncomfortably under his commander's stern gaze and the gazes of his comrades.

"You are going to tell me all that you know about this later," Optimus ordered. Cheetor bowed his head.

Dinobot's facial features hardened. "I would not put it passed Megatron to attempt such a thing," he growled. "But it is hard to comprehend that the ex-human possessed the strength to fight him."

"We need to get her out of there as soon as she's able to leave their base," Rhinox said. Optimus nodded his agreement.

"But dere could be a problem wit' dat," Rattrap began again. "Remember how stubborn she was to leave 'em? Well, I also saw just how close she is to those fliers."

"How close?" Cheetor blurted.

Everyone gave him a look before turning back to Rattrap. "She's closer to them than us for one thing 'cause I don't think she'll be wantin' a group hug wit' us anytime soon."

"Hmm..." Rhinox fingered his chin.

"And what about this sickness?" Optimus continued to question Rattrap.

-x-

"Wazzpinator winzzz!"

"Aw man! I was so close!"

The three fliers were playing Starfeather's Uno game again. Waspinator had somehow been able to win this time. Starfeather set her cards down and looked at Terrorsaur. He staring off into space.

"Earth to Terrorsaur, come in Screechy," she teased and tapped him on the shoulder. He jerked back to reality and randomly, mostly out of surprise, looked right into her optics. Their gazes locked and they both froze. She tried to look away because she could feel herself heating up and turning red but she couldn't move. She couldn't even blink. She could only look back and lose herself in his crimson portals.

He tried to look away, even to close his optics to keep from turning even redder than he already was but he... couldn't. All he could do was gaze into those beautiful pools of soft aqua green light.

Waspinator was waiting for them to snap out of it but it didn't look like they would any time soon. He leaned forward and waved his hand in front of them. "Wazzpinator to love birdz," he said and sniggered.

That got Terrorsaur's attention. He snapped his optics from Starfeather and glared at the wasp. "What did you say?" he growled.

Waspinator eeped slightly and backed up a little. "W-Wazpinator only kidding," he said nervously.

Suddenly, Starfeather started laughing. She was laughing so hard that she fell over backwards (they were sitting on the floor in the med bay). Terrorsaur then glared at her. "What's so funny?" he demanded.

"Oh, nothing," she managed. "It's just that you-" She couldn't finish as she burst into another fit.

He growled, got up, and left the room. He couldn't stay in there, not with her laughing at him. And what Waspinator had said... that couldn't be true! He wasn't a love bird.

...could it?

-x-

Starfeather was beginning to suffer from chills again, not to mention throwing up. She wished that Tarantulas would hurry it up and make that stuff.

That wasn't what she was really on her mind. She was thinking about what Waspinator had said about her and Terrorsaur. _Love birds?_ Was it really _that_ obvious? ...oh no. What would Megatron do to them if he found out that they liked each other? Would he try and kill Terrorsaur? Or would he kill her to set an example for the others? Would he kill them both?

They needed to figure something out as soon as they got each other figured out.

-x-

Meanwhile, Terrorsaur was giving Waspinator a piece of his mind.

"How could you say something so stupid? We're just friends, all three of us!"

"Wazzzpinator wazz only kidding! Terrorsaur not need get angry."

"You think I don't have a need to get angry?"

"Um... yezz?"

"Well I do! Just stay outa my business, keep your mandibles shut, and no one gets hurt."

Waspinator gulped. "Okay."

-x-

Starfeather was feeling good as new. Fortunately, Tarantulas had the rest of the antidote prepared and she lived. For some reason, Terrorsaur hadn't come to see her after the incident after that game of Uno. She wondered if it was something she had said or done. When she would try to find him and apologize, he would either walk away or tell her that he didn't have to talk. She was beginning to get desperate to say something to him.

However, right now she was lying on her stomach by the stream in her clearing, relishing in the fresh air and sunshine. She sighed and kicked her feet in the air, listening to the soft, soothing, splashing sound of the water's music.

She looked up when she heard the sound of something moving in the forest ahead of her. It soon showed itself as a gorilla. She inclined her head. "Optimus?"

"Hello Starfeather," he greeted. "How're you feeling today?" he wondered pointedly.

"Just fine now," she answered, not picking up on his direct question. "You wouldn't believe what happened to me this week."

"Not to be rude but I already know a good deal about it," he replied.

She raised an optic brow. "Did you send Rattrap or something?"

"Yes, we hadn't detected you away from the Predacon base in two days and were getting worried. Cheetor was really concerned about you."

"Oh, well, tell him I'm just fine," She blushed slightly.

"You can tell him yourself," Optimus sidestepped to reveal the cheetah behind him. But Cheetor didn't look too happy. He gave her a brief remorseful and apologetic look before returning his gaze to his forepaws. Starfeather cocked her head again.

"Is there something wrong?" she asked.

Optimus transformed, as well as Cheetor, entered her fence, and stood before her before. "I think it's more like something is wrong with you."

She stood too and gave him a questionable look. "What do you mean?"

"I mean there's something very serious that you and Cheetor are not telling me."

She frowned. "What the Predacons were planning, they're not going do it, thanks to me. So far as I know, Megatron doesn't have anything else planned. What are you talking about?"

"When Rattrap went to investigate, he saw something that set off some suspicions," Optimus began. Starfeather suddenly became nervous. What had Rattrap seen? Did he see the group hug and hear the words exchanged? Did he see that awkward incident between herself and Terrorsaur? She softly gulped and continued to listen. "He saw Megatron give you a very disturbing look," She almost laughed out loud and growled at the same time when Optimus said that. She just managed a choking noise. "Has Megatron sexually assaulted you?"

She held her breath and immediately knew that Cheetor must have explained everything she had told him. She took a step back, wrapping her arms around herself and looking away, not able to meet her commander's stern yet concerned gaze. "It's nothing I can't handle," she said quietly.

"Starfeather, you need to tell us these things. We could've helped you," he said, his voice having a note of tenderness. These maters must be handled with care and he was growing a father like affection for her.

"Help me how? Take me away from the Predacon base to stay at yours?" she retorted bitterly. She didn't know where this rush of anger had come from but she was fighting to hold it back... and losing.

"If that action was deemed necessary, yes."

"Well then, you're climbing the wrong tree, sir." she growled. "Because I'm staying put and if I have to leave your ranks to do so, so be it." A voice in the back of her mind was screaming at her not to do and say that kind of thing. She belonged with the Maximals and she knew it. Was she really willing to throw away her beliefs for two alien robots that she would just end up leaving anyway?

"Starfeather," Cheetor said, stepping toward her. "Don't say that."

"Why shouldn't I?" she snapped. "It's my life and I'm gonna live it how I want!" She suddenly realized she was growing violent. She took a deep breath to try and contain herself. "My place is at Waspinator and Terrorsaur's sides. Despite what they may have done to you, they respect me and protect me against Megatron. We plan to throw him down, together, so that we can rule the Predacons our way. I'm going to see if I can't convince them to stop this fighting so we can go home."

"How can you do that?" Cheetor exclaimed, taking another step toward her. "You're a Maximal, not one of _them_!" Optimus held out a hand to block the golden mech from going any further.

"Stand down Cheetor," he ordered then turned back to Starfeather. "Starfeather?" he questioned seriously. "If Megatron is threatening you, you can't stay, no matter what Terrorsaur and Waspinator are doing to try and help you."

"You don't know that!" she shouted. "They trust me and I trust them! They _need_ me, can't you see that? They're changing because of me!"

"You can't put a foot on the dock and the ship. You need to choose where your true loyalties lie. Will you stay on our side or will you go back to the Predacons?"

She lowered her gaze in thought. She didn't know what she wanted anymore. She wanted to be with her friends, on both sides. Why couldn't she have it? Her shoulders drooped. "I can't do it... I... I can't..." She broke down, falling to her knees and covering her face with her hands, shaking with sobs. She needed to get it out of her system, to be relieved of all this pressure and worry and fear.

Cheetor wanted to just place his arms around her slender shoulders and comfort her but he knew that he couldn't. She didn't want him. She chose the Preds over him. Yet he still watched her cry with genuine concern and sympathy.

Optimus, on the other hand, knelt down beside her. She turned and cried into his chest. "I'm b-being torn apart!" she wailed. "I just wanna go- go home!"

He gently patted her back, trying to calm her down. "I know, young one, I know... We all want to go home."

"I-I've lost so much... Must I lose m-my best friends too?" she sniffled. "Th-they mean the w-world to me..." she whimpered.

Both Optimus and Cheetor could see how much she really did care for those two Predacon fliers. She could see something inside them that they couldn't and they just might need her as much as she claimed. If what Cheetor said was correct, she did possess the strength to fight off even Megatron when the need arose.

"If this is really what you want, you are allowed to stay," Optimus said when Starfeather had stopped crying. She looked up at him with thankfulness gleaming in her optics.

"Thank you, thank you so much," She hugged him but pulled back shortly. "Thank you for understanding but I think I need to go before the others miss me."

"Of course," He stood up and helped her up. "However, I expect a report within the week."

"Yes sir," She saluted and turned to leave.

Cheetor gave Optimus a pleading look. He gave him a slight nod and the golden mech went forward and touched her shoulder. She stopped and looked behind her. "Cheetor, I'm fine now. Really."

"That's not it," He shook his head. "I just want to say... I..." He sighed, unable to finish his original sentence. "Take care of yourself."

She nodded, stepping away from him and reverted to beast mode. "Of course," she replied and flew away. She felt so much better now that she had dumped all her bottled up feelings. She just wished that it would stay like that.

Cheetor watched her leave wistfully. He wondered why she so wanted to stay with those slaggin' Predacon low-life scum. No matter what she thought she saw in them, she didn't belong with them. He would make her see the truth and bring her around.


	16. Victory: Complicated

**#16 - Victory: Complicated**

Starfeather had finally been able to get a hold of Terrorsaur (thanks to Waspy, who had stalled the pteranodon while she caught up). Over the past week, he had avoided her and her gaze completely. She was tagging along behind him as he was trying to walk stiffly away from her.

"C'mon Screechy, what'd you have against me?" she asked with a pleading tone. "What did I do that made you mad?"

He didn't stop. He didn't even glance over his shoulder. "Leave me alone," he growled.

She stopped, staring hurtfully at the back of his head for a second before catching up again. "Why? Please tell me your problem so we can solve it."

"There's nothing you can do except leave me alone," he snapped, turning a corner.

She growled with frustration and continued to follow him. She felt really bad now about upsetting him. The last thing she wanted was for him to have a grudge against her. She just didn't know what his grudge was. "Please, I'm _begging_ you to tell me, what did I do?"

That got him stop. He did it so suddenly that she nearly ran into him. She waited for him to answer or do something, her face twisted into a concerned and inquiring look. Terrorsaur clenched his fists as he glared at the floor. "You laughed at me," he finally answered, though barely audible. This made no _sense_. Why was he hurt over a little thing like that? He was laughed at all the time by others. Why her?

Starfeather took a tiny step back, not remembering an incident like that.

"You laughed at me when Waspinator cracked that air-headed remark," he said a little louder when she didn't respond.

"That? Oh no, I wasn't-" She stopped. He was right, she did laugh at him but not seriously. She was just laughing at the way he reacted. That look on his face was priceless. She looked down at her feet. "I didn't mean anything by it."

He grunted. "Well, you did."

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I didn't mean to hurt you like that... will you forgive me now?"

He was quiet for a long moment. He was turning over what she had said and thinking. In all his life, he had never truly forgiven anyone. Then again, he had never had true friends before either and she was being sincere enough if he knew her. "Okay," he murmured and slowly turned around to face her. "I forgive you."

Her smile brightened. "Thank you," she nodded. "What are friends for?"

He couldn't help but return her smile. Either she had a way of talking with him or he had gained a way of listening to her. He felt strange, opening up to her like this, but it felt good in the end.

"So," she said. "Have anything mandatory that Megatron wants you to do?"

"Not really," he answered with a shrug.

"Then maybe you and Waspy could show me again how to do that J dive... _without_ me getting sick." she added.

"_Yeah_..." He shook his head at the memory.

"Alrighty then, but first-" Starfeather narrowed her aqua green optics and took a subtle step forward. "You're it!" She punched his shoulder and ran down the hallway, giggling.

"Not for long!" he called and went after her. He could hardly believe that he had ever been upset with her for a meager thing only a few moments before.

They ran through several passageways until-

"Whoa- rwaak!" Terrorsaur tripped over something and fell. Starfeather skidded to a halt and looked over her shoulder to make sure he wasn't faking so he could tag her.

"You alright?" she asked.

He got on his hands and knees and shook his head to get rid of the stars. "Yeah, just- Hey, what's that?" He had looked to see what had caused him this minor irritation and spotted an unfamiliar cable... but Starfeather knew what it was.

"It's probably just something Tarantulas or Blackarachnia are working on," she said, walking back to him and holding out her hand to help him up. "Now, where were we?"

He took her hand and stood up. "I don't think so," he said, grabbing her wrist before she could run off. "They would inform us so that we wouldn't get in their way and ruin it."

"You sure? It's probably nothing to worry about." she urged, trying to pull him away from the spy cable while he had her wrist clamped in his hand.

"We should report this to Megatron. He will decide if it's nothing or not," Terrorsaur concluded, giving the cable a final glare. _Anything_ sounded good to get rid of that thing.

_So much for that plan,_ Starfeather thought dejectedly. _Oh well... Big Bot knows I tried._ She shot an apologetic look at where one of the camera lenses was hidden. Unfortunately, no one was currently watching at the other end.

-x-

All of the Maximals stared stunned in pure astonishment at the view screen, now only displaying static. Everyone's optics were wide at what they had witnessed. It was possibly the most bizarre thing that just about all the Predacon subordinates had ever done, including Starfeather. Yet something had seemed...

Suddenly, the shockwave from the explosion whipped through the ground and shook the base.

The only one who could say anything after that was Cheetor. "Are... are they all...?"

Optimus then looked to Rhinox and the rhino immediately left to get the needed equipment for this rather unexpected situation. On his return, everyone transformed to beast mode and filed silently out of the base, heading for the Predacon base.

Everyone was further stunned at the actual sight of said base. It looked exactly how Cheetor put it next.

"That place looks like...totally slagged," he murmured and looked back at the others. "Any sign of her?"

Everyone knew to whom the cheetah was referring. Rhinox had been scanning before the question was even asked out loud. Slowly, the rhino shook his head. "I detect no signs of life... Not a Pred energy signature anywhere."

"Can that be confirmed?" Dinobot asked skeptically. He didn't quite believe that his old comrades were gone just like that. This got a certain rat's attention.

"His sensors don't lie, lizard lips!" Rattrap retorted, shaking a rat finger at the raptor's nose.

"Are you sure? She could still be in there and need our help," Cheetor stated with a hint of defensiveness.

"We may have to accept a rather unexpected development, friends," Optimus spoke up and everyone looked to him. "It looks like the Maximals have won the Beast Wars."

"But Starfeather-"

"Is gone, spots. And dat's what she gets fer hangin' wit' da enemy," Rattrap broke off Cheetor. But the cat hissed and pounced on him, baring his teeth.

"You can tell that to her when we find her!" he growled.

"Cheetor! Stand down," Optimus ordered sternly. The cheetah reluctantly obeyed and Rattrap stood up and brushed himself off, glaring at Cheetor.

Without another word, they all cautiously entered the scrapped base. Rhinox put his scanners to work again but still nothing. "No life forms," he said solemnly. "But the energon field dampers are still functional."

"Good," Optimus murmured but he turned to look at a transformed Rattrap when a light crash was sounded.

"Alright, let's pillage and plunder," the rat said, swinging a metal rod like a pirate sward.

"Only for space drive parts. It is a Predacon ship and still very dangerous," the Maximal leader cautioned.

"Yeah? Well then let's say we make ol' Chppa Face go first, eh?" Rattrap suggested pointedly, smacking the rod on Dinobot's hip.

"Yes, that would be logical. I will take point," the raptor replied, taking the rod from Rattrap's grasp and tossing it aside. He then moved to check that the coast was truly clear. Rattrap was puzzled about Dinobot's responses to his remarks.

Meanwhile, Cheetor was still in beast mode. He was sniffing about the Predacon base for any signs of Starfeather. He soon found her quarters and slowly entered. There wasn't much damage done here except some things had fallen over and a wall was slightly blown in from the force of the explosion.

On the floor near him was a purple stuffed crocodile. He transformed and went over to pick it up. It was very squishy in his grasp and the raven's scent was very strong on it. He set it ceremoniously on her bed and stepped back. He looked around the room again and saw a single shiny, black feather on the floor. He picked it up and stared at it for a long time before carefully placing it in his subspace.

He couldn't believe that she was gone. Probably not even her body was left. He didn't understand why he had taken such a fondness for her over the past few weeks. He had been mistrustful of her allegiance and her intentions. Though as he got to know her, he found that she was really quite a character. She was tenacious, smart, beautiful, and she could sing wonderfully. What wasn't to like about her?

But she was gone... and she had liked Terrorsaur and Waspinator anyway. How could she like them? What _was_ to like about them? They were scheming, evil, low-life, criminal slaggards! What was it that she thought she saw in them?

He was about to leave her room after giving one last glance around when something caught his optic. He looked and saw a dot of turquoise in one corner. He went to investigate and saw it was a strange device. It was a thin rectangle that could neatly fit in the palm of your hand. It had a screen and a circular button panel below it. He picked it up and turned it over to see a glittery red star bordered with silver. If he had had asked Starfeather about this interesting object, he would've known that an old friend of her dad's had given her that sticker and that there was a little story about it... and the object...

_-Flashback-_

Emily gasped with pure delight as she tore the wrapping paper off her last present; from her boyfriend. "An iPod!" she squealed.

"I hope the color is right," her boyfriend said as he pulled out his pocket knife to help her open the box. Once the mp3 player was released, she squealed again.

"It's perfect! Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" It was turquoise, her favorite color. Clutching the gift in her hand, she threw her arms around him and kissed him briefly on the cheek. "You're the best!" she whispered.

"If you two are kissing, you're in _so_ much trouble!" Ken, younger her brother, called from behind the corner of the house. Emily was celebrating her fifteenth birthday and was having a party in her back yard. Her boyfriend had pulled her aside to give her this special gift alone.

"Then I'll tell mom about all those times you didn't brush your teeth and snuck cookies in the night!" Emily yelled back. Her boyfriend laughed as Ken growled and stalked away.

-x-

"Alexis, what's this?" Emily asked, holding up a small, square piece of paper she had found on the floor under the couch while looking for a dropped cracker. Alexis looked over at the fifteen year old, her stunning jade green eyes studying the object. A sad smile came over her face.

"Oh, that's just one of my stickers I've kept around since I was about your age," she answered.

"You collect stickers?" Emily wondered. She knew that her favorite babysitter loved jets, specifically F-15s. She never asked why. It could be something along the lines of her own fascination for dinosaur toys and Hotwheels.

"Only certain kinds," the brunet woman replied. "They have to be stars with red, white, or silver for me to be interested in them."

"Any particular reason?" Emily asked, looking closer at the glittery sticker in her hands.

"Oh... they remind me of someone I used to know..." Alexis trailed off.

"Hm..."

"You can have that one if you like. I have another just like it," she offered.

"Really?" Emily looked up.

"Sure," Alexis said. "Think of this as a late birthday present," she added with a half smile.

"Wow, thanks! And I think I know just where to stick this..."

_-End Flashback-_

Cheetor decided to hold on to this weird thing since Starfeather wouldn't be missing it... and he wanted something to remember her by. He gently placed it by her feather and left the room. He nearly bumped into Rattrap as he exited the hallway leading to the quartering bay of the ship.

"Hey, watch where you're goin', kid!" the rat snapped.

"Sorry," the cheetah mumbled.

"Whatever. Big Banana says it's time to head home. And where's dino breath?"

Meanwhile, Dinobot was still wandering around the confines of his old base. He could hardly wrap his processor over the cold, hard fact that his ex-comrades were gone. With the war now apparently over and won, what was left for him to... to... Wait... what was that? No, it couldn't be. Rhinox's scanners didn't pick up any signs of life.

As Dinobot entered the room where the Predacon rebellion had taken place, he saw everyone's parts strewn about. He also saw that one body was whole but badly damaged and covered by a large portion of the fallen wall. He heaved the rubble aside and kneeled beside the body to check and see if his effort was in vain. He was shocked to find that she was just barely hanging on.

He activated his comm. link. "Optimus, it appears the vermin and Rhinox's scanners were incorrect."

_"What do you mean, Dinobot?"_ was Primal's response.

"I have found our spy and she is still alive but I fear not for long," he answered.

_"Then we must get her out of here and back to base as soon as possible for repairs,"_ Optimus ordered, relief fighting into his tone.

"No, that would take too long. Are the C.R. tanks here still functional?" the raptor asked.

_"Good thinking,"_ the Maximal leader replied. _"Bring her here, quickly."_

Dinobot grunted in acknowledgment and closed the link. He turned back to the raven and carefully picked her up. The feathers left on her from her beast mode were charred and no longer carried a sheen. He wondered how she could have survived the energon blast and the wall falling on top of her.

-x-

Her aqua green optics slowly opened. The shapes around her were fuzzy but her vision soon cleared. She tensed when she saw all of the Maximals around her then relaxed when memories of past events flooded her mind.

"Hello Starfeather," Optimus was the first to speak. "It's good to see you still with us. You have Dinobot to thank for your rescue."

She looked over to see the raptor standing indifferent from the others. "In that case, thank you."

He simply nodded.

"And I have something to... return to you," Cheetor stepped forward. He removed something from his storage space and held it out to her. She lightly gasped.

"My iPod," She took it from him and looked curiously at him. "Why did you have it?"

"Well, I thought that you were gone so..."

She immediately understood. "You wanted something of mine to remember me by." She then got off the platform of the C.R. tank and smiled. "That's sweet. Thanks for giving it back though, 'cause when I do finally kick the bucket, I want this thing buried with me."

Everyone laughed or smiled at that. Then Starfeather put on a more serious air and looked around. "Where are the others?" she asked. "The last thing I remember is shooting at Megatron after Terrorsaur gave the signal."

At this, just about everyone turned solemn. Dinobot was the first to speak. "I regret to inform you that in the energon explosion you and your Predacon comrades caused destroyed them. You yourself were barely online when I found you."

She gasped but she knew that this was not so. Her Predacon "comrades" had actually been androids Tarantulas had built to look and sound like the real ones for that morning. She hadn't had any time to go tell the Maximals about this plan and she decided that she was going to keep it a secret still, for now. She didn't know why but didn't want them to find out about her friends yet.

"They're... they're gone?"

Rattrap went to say something disrespectful but Cheetor and Dinobot smacked him. Starfeather was forcing tears to show. She had to make this look real. She choked back a sob and ran out of the room. Cheetor glared at Rattrap before following.

"Femmes," Rattrap muttered but shut up when Optimus gave him a look this time.

Meanwhile, Starfeather had exited the base she called home and kept running, despite Cheetor's calls which were growing louder. He caught up with her just several yards away from the base and grabbed her shoulders.

"Starfeather?"

"Lemme go!" she cried. "You don't even care about them!"

She was right. He didn't care. In fact, he was down right **glad** they were gone. "But you aren't one of them Starfeather, you joined our ranks as a spy, remember? You're a Maximal. Why do you keep acting like you're just a fare-weather friend to us?"

She didn't want to shout about this but if that was the only way to make him see... "Some of them were like family to me! Waspinator was like a little brother even though he's older than me, Blackarachnia and Scorponok were like cousins I don't get along with, Tarantulas was like a grouchy, creepy, scientist uncle, and... and..."

"I just can't see why you stay when Megatron _wants_ you. He tried to rape you for crying out loud!" the cheetah growled. He just didn't understand her stubbornness about staying. Like he had just said, she was a Maximal!

"He hasn't tried again since I fought him off!" she argued. She knew that an argument like this would come around with just her and Cheetor. He seemed so determined to get her to leave the Predacons. Why? "What is with you?"

"We're just concerned about you," came a new calmer voice. The two turned to see Optimus with the others beside him.

Starfeather took this chance to run. Cheetor was going to follow her again but Optimus stopped him. "Let her get it out of her system."

The golden mech was going to protest but went silent and lowered his gaze.

Starfeather was running to a spot where she could contact the Predacons and report that she had been 'accepted' and would give the signal just before the Maximals took off. She saw the edge of the forest and hid behind the biggest tree.

"Can you hear me sir?" She spoke quietly through her comm. link, not wanting the Maximals to hear if they had tried to follow her.

_"Loud and clear Starfeather. Go ahead,"_ Megatron replied, annoyance evident in his voice.

"The Maximals have found me and brought me to their base. I surrendered, just like you said, and they bought it. It may be several days before they're ready to take off so you guys better get comfortable where ever you are."

There was a pause before she got a response. _"Very well, inform us as soon as they are about to start the launch sequence."_ In the background, she could hear several voices bickering about wanting more room or to get certain body parts off of other body parts.

"Aye, sir. Over and out," she answered with a hint of uncertainty as she closed the link. She could only wonder where they had hidden.

-x-

The next morning, Starfeather was still asleep in her new quarters at the Maximal base, facing the wall her bed was attached to. She had Squishy hugged securely under her chin. After a few minutes, she let out a big yawn and half opened one optic. Both shot open and she sat up, looking all around her. She then laughed at herself, remembering where she was and what had happened.

"I wonder why no one came to wake me," she mused, setting her purple sleeping buddy aside. "Guess I better see what I missed." She hopped off the bed and stretched her stiff joints and heartily flapped her wings. She couldn't help but look back at them in awe every so often. She had always wondered what it would be like to have wings.

She brushed away her thoughts and exited her new room. No one was in the hallway so she jogged her memory on how to get to the main control room. She got there fairly easily and only found Dinobot there. He appeared to be deep in thought so she decided to check the atmospheric scanners to see the weather. The Maximal's system was a little different from the Predacon's but she figured it out. There was a storm system moving in slowly and, according to the diagnostics, would arrive within the next couple days.

Dinobot was considering what he should do now that the war was over. He knew that he couldn't go back to Cybertron because he was a convicted criminal for stealing the golden disc but what were his other options? He would have to think on this carefully.

Starfeather sighed and looked over at Dinobot. "So..." she started. Dinobot snapped his attention to her.

"Yes?" he responded, crossing his arms.

"Well, uh, I was wondering what I could do around here," she said. "I don't wanna just sit around like a deadweight."

"I'm afraid you're asking the wrong person," he replied. "Optimus or Rhinox would be the one to speak to."

"Oh, well thanks anyway," she said and went to leave but stopped in the door and looked over her shoulder. "Just... wait a while before you decide to leave the Maximals or anything."

He stared at her suspiciously. "What makes you think I would leave?" he demanded.

She gave a tiny grin and touched the Predacon insignia still on the top of her helm. "Just wait," she murmured and continued on her way. Dinobot stared after her, his thoughts stirred again. What could she mean?

As she walked down the hallways, she couldn't help but wonder what Terrorsaur and Waspy might be doing without her.

-x-

"Wazpinator miss Bird-bot," guess-who complained, slumping where he sat.

"We all miss Bird-bot," Blackarachnia replied sarcastically. "Especially since she technically betrayed us."

"Hey! This was all planned out so she _technically_ didn't!" Terrorsaur retorted but soon clamped his beak. He was doing it again... whatever _it _was.

Megatron sighed to himself from where he sat as he listened to his men bicker. He wasn't blind or deaf to what was exchanged between his lackies, no. He could tell that there was something forming between his dearest and that scheming traitor. That was a bad combination for him. If they were to get Waspinator with them to also rise against him once again, it just might spell his down fall or even his demise. It nearly did the last time.

He would have to make his move soon before Terrorsaur could somehow find the gall to claim her before he could. This wasn't the only reason he needed to pluck her from where she stood in her wing mate's shadow. If she was taken by the pteranodon and the original plan Megatron had for her was continued, it could spell defeat for the Predacons if the red mech did what Megatron calculated he would do afterward.

-x-

As Starfeather neared where the rest of the other Maximals were located, working on the warp drive, the feeling of guilt for not telling them about the hiding threat to their voyage home was rising in her spark. She had already dropped Dinobot a hint and wondered if he would tell Optimus about what she had said.

If he did figure it out and told the others, what would they do with her? Would they punish her? If so, how? And what would they do with the Predacons once they found them? Kill them? Imprison them?

There were so many unanswered questions.

"Hey there."

"Eek!" Starfeather nearly hit the ceiling and spun around to see who spoke to her.

"Whoa, take it easy," Cheetor soothed, raising his hands in a harmless motion. "Man, living with the Preds sure made you jumpy."

She glared at him for a second before smirking. "I've always been jumpy but I forgive you for your ignorance."

He narrowed an optic. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you don't know enough about me to make certain assumptions," she answered. "Now can you please tell me where Optimus or Rhinox are so I can get to work?"

Cheetor raised an optic ridge. "Work? You don't have to work right now. You've been through enough," He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Besides, I was looking for you anyway."

She stiffened at his touch and forced her vision to stay on his face but not in his yellow optics. "Why?"

"Well, I figured now that the war's over and all that you and I could, y'know... hang out for a while," he said and smiled crookedly, almost nervously. She looked at him before the words finally formed meanings in her head.

"Uh sure, why not?" she finally replied.

"Great! So uh, where do you wanna go?" he asked.

She shrugged. "Where ever, I guess." Starfeather wasn't clueless. She knew that Cheetor had, basically, asked her out and that she had accepted. She didn't have a crush on him so why was she doing this?

**I know there's something in the wake of your smile**

**I get a notion from the look in your eyes**

The two transformed to beast mode and left the base. They went a little ways, Starfeather a few feet in the air and Cheetor on the ground, before he looked up at her and grinned playfully.

"Race ya!" He then took off faster than she could reply.

"No fair!" she laughed before speeding up so she was just above him. "I don't even know where we're going!"

"Then you better keep up!" he called and ran faster, laughing through a purr.

She narrowed her optics. "You do realize this means war," she muttered and swooped down just above him. She lightly pecked him on the top of his head with her beak and soared up and out of his reach.

She smiled on hearing him laugh through good-natured threats. She was having fun with Cheetor but she couldn't help but wondered if Terrorsaur missed her... She shook her head to clear it. Stop thinking like that. You shouldn't even _have_ a crush on him in the first place because _he_ is the enemy. She sighed. Why did everything she want have to be so complicated?

**You've built a love but that love falls apart**

**Your little piece of heaven turns to dark**

They eventually ended up in a savannah terrain. Starfeather gave Cheetor a wise-guy look. "This is a savannah, and you are a cheetah. Coincidence? I think not."

He smiled sheepishly and shrugged. "What can I say? It looks awesome around sunset."

She nodded. "I've seen enough nature shows to know that."

"Let's go explore," he suggested and began to walk down the hill but Starfeather stayed where she was. She looked back the way they had come as if looking back at her friends, wondereing if she was really doing the right thing.

"Hey Star, you comin'?"

**Listen to your heart when he's calling for you**

**Listen to your heart**

**There's nothing else you can do**

She shook her head yet again. "Y-yeah," she answered and went air born and followed. How could she have made it work between her and Terrorsaur anyway? He obviously didn't want to be anything more than friends...

**I don't know where you're going and I don't know why**

**But listen to your heart before you tell him goodbye**

The two traveled to a river and stopped to watch the wildlife flocking to it. They transformed and sat in the shade of an acacia tree. A pride of lions lazed around several yards away in another shady spot. Herds of zebra, wildebeest, and gazelle roamed around and drank occasionally. Hippos sunned themselves in the shallows of the river while some were grazing.

Starfeather sighed in contentment as she leaned against Cheetor's shoulder. "Oh look, there're some elephants." She pointed just up the slope over an achier away. Several elephant females and their calves were lumbering down the rise toward the water.

"Yeah," he mumbled and paused. "Y'know, I used to think only Earth had animals like this."

She looked at him. "You've been to Earth?"

"No, just read about it," He shrugged. "But I've always wanted to go there and explore it."

She nodded. "Yeah... I've always wanted to see Madagascar and play with the lemurs."

"That would be fun," he replied.

They both looked when there was a tiny growl and crash of brush and two lion cubs tumbled into view. The baby animals didn't notice the two alien robots as they continued to play and wander closer. They finally stopped at their feet and looked up curiously.

"Hey there little guys," Starfeather cooed and gently held out a hand for the cubs to sniff. The braver of the two stepped forward and sniffed and mouthed her fingers. She smiled and rubbed its chin. The other cub wanted what its sibling was enjoying so pawed at her other hand.

As she giggled and crooned at the lion cubs, Cheetor watched with growing adoration and smiled. Starfeather sure had a way with animals. And she certainly was easy to get along with. He wondered how long it would be before he could find the chance to tell her how he felt. He also wondered if she would feel the same way.

**Sometimes you wonder if this fight is worth while**

**The precious moments are all lost in the tide**

Starfeather played with the cubs until the mother called to her babies. They left the raven and stumbled on home. She sighed and leaned back where she had been. "Cute little things," she said. "But I don't like kitten slobber." She pulled a face, holding up her spit covered hands.

"Well let's go wash it off," Cheetor chuckled. He stood and helped her up and they carefully made their way to the river bank. She knelt down and rubbed her hands together in the murky water. When her hands were free of saliva, she continued to watch the slowly flowing liquid swirl by. A blade of dried grass was swept passed and she watched it float out of sight.

Was it really that easy, she wondered, to let someone go like that? Especially after all that they had been through; battles, new experiences, fun and games... She sighed. She just wanted things to go back to normal, for her to be living at the Predacon base and going through with her daily routine of work from her waking moment and late into the night.

**They're swept away and nothing is what it seems**

**The feeling of belonging to your dreams**

A voice pulled her from her thoughts.

"You okay?" Cheetor asked.

"Yeah, just... I got a lot on my mind," she muttered as she stood and folded her wings tighter against her back. She put her hand above her other arms elbow and massaged the area uncomfortably.

"Why don't you let it out, I can take it," he said and eased an arm around her waist. She stiffened. She knew he most likely wouldn't hurt her, but she wasn't sure she liked such physical contact... but it did comfort her. Perhaps that was all he was trying to do. She shook her head.

**Listen to your heart when he's calling for you**

**Listen to your heart**

**There's nothing else you can do**

"You wouldn't understand. Even I don't really understand," she almost whispered.

"Tell me anyway. I might be able to help." he said. She hung her head and shut off her aqua green optics.

"No... you might tell Optimus..."

"Is this about Megatron?"

"No."

"Then what's bothering you?"

She brushed him off and walked away down the river bank, her arms around herself. She couldn't tell him about her battling emotions and thoughts. She knew he wouldn't be any help. He would just say that Terrorsaur wasn't worth her time. That thought caused a frown to appear on her face.

**I don't know where you're going and I don't know why**

**But listen to your heart before you tell him goodbye**

He watched, stunned, as she removed herself from his embrace and walked away. What had he said? He went after her. "What did I say?"

She stopped. She didn't know how to answer. There were so many things she could say, so many things she could do to respond. But nothing would come out. Not even tears.

**And there are voices that want to be heard**

**So much to mention but you can't find the words**

**The scent of magic**

**The beauty that's been when love was wilder than the wind**

She felt him take her shoulders and gently turn her around to face him. "Did I hurt you?" he asked. Her mouth opened slightly. That's when she realized, he really cared. Cared about her. He could even feel the same way about her as she thought she felt about Terrorsaur.

"No... I... I hurt myself," she finally answered. "My spark has torn in two and... I don't know which piece I should heal."

Cheetor paused before holding her closer. "Then let me help you decide," he murmured. "I want to be there for you."

Starfeather lightly gasped. Cheetor wanted to love her and wanted her to feel the same. She blushed as a smile played on her lips. But...

**Listen to your heart when he's calling for you**

**Listen to your heart**

**There's nothing else you can do**

**I don't know where you're going and I don't know why**

**But listen to your heart before you tell him goodbye**

No mater how flattered she was... she couldn't find it in her to feel the same.

He, not being able to read her mind, curled a finger under her chin and tilted her head up. He began coming closer to her. She allowed him to do so, even dimming her optics. But just before they met, she put her hand between their lips.

"N... no, I... I-I can't, I..." she stuttered.

He looked at her with a mixture of confusion and hurt. "Why?" was all he said. He didn't understand what was wrong. She had gone along with him just up until before it even began. What was holding her back? Memories of what Megatron had done to her? She should know that he would never do anything like that to her.

"I..." She couldn't get it out. Her spark beat more rapidly as her mind swam.

"Starfeather?"

**Listen to your heart**

**I don't know where you're going and I don't know why**

**But listen to your heart before...**

"I... No!" she cried and shoved herself away and did start running. She couldn't do this. She just couldn't find it in her to feel something for him. It wasn't that she didn't like him. He was a nice guy; fun, loyal, even cute...

But she didn't love him.

**You tell him goodbye**

"Starfeather!" he called and ran after her. What had he done? He just knew this would happen. He rushed things and now he might have lost her.

She didn't listen. She simply transformed and flew high into the clouds, leaving Cheetor far below. She hated leaving him to hang like that but she would return to base and straighten it all out when she had had a good cry.

-x-

It was growing dark when Starfeather finally returned. During her time in the clouds, she had changed her activation code and symbol. She had to admit that saying or thinking 'Maximize' rather than 'Terrorize' had a nicer appeal to her. She also thought of all the possible reasons Cheetor would think she had fled. She hoped he didn't get the wrong impression.

She transformed to robot mode and landed. She went inside and looked around for Cheetor. He wasn't in the control room, only Rhinox and Rattrap. The rat gave her a dirty look and went back to what he was doing. She quickly stuck out her tongue when he wasn't looking and went down the passage ways.

She managed to find Cheetor's door and knocked. When he opened it to see her there, he looked like he was trying to hide a frown. "What?" he demanded.

She did frown at him but kept her voice level. "Would you at least hear what I have to say before you start acting all snippy?"

He flinched but relaxed his stance. "Fine."

"Okay, I'm sorry that I ran out on you like that," she began. "It's not becauase you tried to kiss me or even that I was afraid of what you would do or even because of the memories of how Megatron tried to get at me. You're a really nice guy, but I just... It's just there was... I don't feel anything other than friendship. I'm sorry but I just don't. Please, please don't be mad at me for that."

He studied at her for a long time, neither knowing for how long. At last, he replied, "I guess I should say sorry too... for rushing you. And I forgive you."

She smiled. "Thanks, and I forgive you too. Friends?" she asked, holding out her hand so they could shake on it. He smiled too.

"Friends," he confirmed and shook her hand. He was disappointed that she didn't want to be anything more but maybe, given time, she would come around. She surprised him by pulling him closer and hugging him. It took him a moment before he hugged back.

-x-

Dinobot was in his beast mode and looking out across the storm that was approaching. You could already see the lightening and hear the thunder. He had just decided on what he was going to do. Now all that remained was to inform the others and take action. He took a deep breath and headed for the base entrance.

Meanwhile, Starfeather was up and helping the others to get the warp systems ready for takeoff. She still hadn't told them of the waiting Predacons but she would say something today. That she was certain. But not around Rattrap. She didn't feel like putting the pressure too hard on Optimus.

As a mater of fact, the rat was arguing on why they should do something about the raptor. "But we still can't trust Dinobot!" he was saying.

"Before we decide where he's going, we better decide where we're going," Rhinox said. He had just about had enough of Rattrap and fixing stuff here, there, and everywhere. "I'm almost done with these drive repairs."

"Our first order of business is the stasis pods still in orbit," Optimus stated. "They must be recovered and our comrades rescued. We also have to alert Tigatron."

"Okay, but after that, we start exploring the galaxy again, right?" Cheetor said as he helped move the transwarp cell into place.

"Don't I need qualifications for that or something?" Starfeather asked as she also helped with moving the cell.

"Whoa whoa whoa, what're you talkin' here?" Rattrap protested. "Have you taken a good look at this scrap heap lately? We even make it tah space, and the only place we're headed is back to Cybertron."

"I'm afraid Rattrap's right," Optimus agreed as he came up to the three. Starfeather sighed. She was waiting for the right moment to speak out and say they couldn't leave just yet. However, the rat made a triumphant whoop.

"And about time too. Ooh, I can just hear the dames cryin' for me!"

The raven rolled her optics as she crossed her arms indignantly. _Yeah, right._

And a certain raptor had witnessed this little bit. "Perhaps it is the thought of your return that causes their unhappiness."

Rattrap turned to face Dinobot. "Haha hey Choppa Face, an actual comeback. A little lame but I can tell you're feelin' better."

"And for good reason," Dinobot continued as he stepped forward to look the rat in the face. "I shall not see you again."

"Whoa! Another dig!" Rattrap said, giving the raptor a thumbs up, but everyone else was confused. Optimus told Rattrap to be quiet and stepped forward.

"What are you saying Dinobot? You will not be returning to Cybertron with us?" the Maximal leader questioned.

Dinobot shook his head. "No. On Cybertron, I will merely be a Predacon criminal. However, on this planet... I have no equal. I shall remain."

Starfeather bit her lip. If Dinobot stayed, he might happen to find the Predacons and she would become a traitor. She didn't want that. She had to speak up before it was too late.

Optimus nodded solemnly. "I understand. None the less, let the records show that I highly advise against this action. It will eventually lead to your destruction."

"Eventually," Dinobot repeated thoughtfully. "Eventually can be a long time Optimus Primal."

She found her chance. "Wait! Don't leave, any of you, before you hear me out!"

Everyone looked at her. "Why?" Rhinox asked.

"Because... b-because the Predacons aren't really gone! We faked it," she admitted. "I know I should've told you all sooner but I didn't beca-"

"You didn't wanna betray your Pred buddies!" Rattrap piped up, marching up to force her back against something. "It's like I always say: "Once a Pred, always a Pred"." he spat, shoving a finger at her face.

"Did anyone ask you, rat face?" Cheetor growled.

"Cheetor, Rattrap, stand down." Optimus ordered. When the two backed away, he continued. "The important thing is she told us now. Starfeather, where are they hiding?"

The raven regained her composure but shifted her weight. "Well that's the thing. See, Megatron didn't tell me where they would be hiding. He planned for when you saw on the camera, that you would come to the base and find me there. I was to surrender and once you guys were ready to leave, I was to call him and tell him to strike. He wants to use the ship to get the stasis pods in the atmosphere and make an army."

Dinobot wouldn't put it passed Megatron to do something like that, but... He had truly believed that his old comrades were gone. Now that he knew they were still alive, what should he do now the real last battle was inevitable?

"Then tell him to strike," Optimus replied.

Everyone gaped at him but Rhinox got the idea. "And when he comes, he'll find us waiting."

"Exactly," the Maximal leader said. "Starfeather, go outside and contact the Predacons and tell them that we are ready to leave."

"Do I stay outside?" she wondered.

"Yes," he nodded. "Make them think we are clueless inside the ship. Rhinox, get some systems up and running for realism and radio Tigatron. Alright Maximals, let's head out."

-x-

Somewhere several yards underground, a little white rat had fallen. It was now climbing up the way it fell, scrabbling up the rocky ledges. It just might succeed, it thought... right up until it was grabbed roughly by the tail and pulled into the hungry mandibles of a large purple spider and swallowed whole.

Tarantulas chuckled evilly as he wiped his mandibles clean of fur and blood. Saliva dripped from his mouth and onto the individual below him.

"Eyuck!" Terrorsaur shook his head to shake off the spit. "Stop slobbering on me Tarantulas!"

"I am feasting!" the tarantula retorted. However, behind him, someone else was having issues with him.

"Give Wazzzpinator more room!" the wasp grunted. "Tarantulazz fat enough already!"

The spider hissed in annoyance and effort as he turned to face the bug. "If Waspinator does not stop cuddling me like a stuffed toy when he sleeps, I'll eat him as well!"

"Wazpinator like to see you try!"

"Yes I will!"

"No you won't!"

"Will so!"

"Stop, stop, STOP! I can't stand this any longer Megatron!" Terrorsaur cried, bouncing anxiously in place, putting a stop to the bugs' bickering. "I gotta get OUT! Bawk!" he screeched when Scorponok whacked him backwards to shut him up.

"We even wouldn't be here if you didn't trip over that spy cable," Scorponok retorted.

"You are correct, Scorponok," Megatron said. "And thanks to Terrorsaur _and_ Starfeather's inadvertent discovery of our enemy's spy cable, we were able to pull off this little deception, yes."

"But what if they detect us?" Blackarachnia questioned and waved a limb toward a line of circular devices just above them, red lights on them flashing on and off to show that they were working. "Don't forget that my signature damping device is only experimental."

The Predacon leader turned to regard the black widow. "We have only to wait until Starfeather reports that the Maximals have repaired their ship and attack when their guard is down." He then turned to look at each of his men. "With the Maximal ship in our possession, we will be able to recover the orbiting stasis pods containing protoform Maximals eager to become Predacons." He chuckled evilly before approaching Terrorsaur heavily, causing the ground to shake. "So no one leaves!" she growled, shoving his face in the pteranodon's.

Terrorsaur glanced around nervously. "Leaving? Who- who said anything about l-leaving? Oww!" he stuttered before a small rock hit his head. His leader's stomping had vibrated the stone out of place hence causing it to fall. Waspinator snickered. Terrorsaur glared at him. "Who're you laughing at, bug face?"

_"Little birdie to mother bird. Do you read?"_

Megatron sighed with annoyance. "Yes, Starfeather. Report."

_"I've been informed that the ship is ready for takeoff any time now. Where ever you guys are, you can get out and head this way for the attack. Primal said I could take one last walk around outdoors before they go so I'll be waiting for you."_

"Understood. Well done my dear," After Megatron said this, Terrorsaur felt a stab of something that made him want to kick the tyrannosaurus in the gut, hard.

Everyone heard a slight growl from the other end of the link.

_"Thank you, sir."_ Starfeather's voice sounded spiteful and sarcastic before she cut the link.

"You heard her! Predacons: Terrorize!" Megatron roared. Terrorsaur and Waspinator were the first to obey. The soared up and out of the crack in the earth and transformed.

"Rawk! Freedom!" the red mech shouted.

-x-

Starfeather, in beast mode, was waiting for a signal from Megatron to get in formation with her wing mates and begin the attack. Tigatron nodded to her as he passed and entered the ship. She nodded back and looked back to the horizon. She wondered how this fight would turn out. Would the Predacons survive this fight yet the Maximals left? And if they left anyway, would they leave her behind? Certainly not but how could she leave?

She didn't get a chance to try and answer her own question before she saw Terrorsaur and Waspinator come into view. She smiled widely. "Starfeather: Maximize! Cawcaaaw!" she yelled as she jumped into the air and flew towards them.

"Bird-bot!" Waspinator cried and crashed into her, crushing her in a hug. She was somehow able to keep them air born and hugged back.

"Take it easy Waspy, we have a battle to win," she laughed.

"Maximize?" Terrorsaur repeated with a speck of disbelieving.

"I had to make it look real, alright? I'll change it after the battle," _maybe,_ she added mentally to herself.

He nodded and helped to pry Waspinator off of her. Now, she was forcing herself to appear eager about this last battle. She knew that if the Maximals won, she would have to reveal her allegiance. Maybe she should now... no, she couldn't just quit them. That was a wimps' choice. She wasn't a wimp... was she?

The fliers took their positions, along with all the other Predacons, and waited for Megatron's signal. A few tense minutes passed, and he gave the first shot. His men followed suit. Most of them were surprised to see Optimus, Cheetor, and Dinobot exit the ship immediately and come out to meet them, especially with the sound of engines powering up.

"It's almost as if the Maximals knew we were coming," Megatron mused to himself. "You never cease to surprise me, Primal."

The three Maximals separated to form a barrier in front of the ship. Shots were exchanged and some were hit but not severely. At least until Scorponok hit Dinobot in the back and he was further damaged by Megatron. Dinobot had been front and center so it would be difficult for either Optimus or Cheetor to get to him.

However, Optimus was closest and radioed for Cheetor to cover him. He approached the fallen raptor and hauled him over his shoulder. Terrorsaur decided to capitalize on the Maximal leader's distraction and shot him down. He laughed triumphantly before he himself was brought down by Cheetor.

The raven clenched her fits and fired at the cheetah. _Nobody_ shoots at her friend and gets away with it. She knocked him down.

"They're finished!" Megatron called to his troops when Cheetor fell. "Head for the ship!"

All those who were able (Scorponok, Tarantulas, Blackarachnia, and Starfeather, including Megatron) all headed forward on foot. The raven knew that this was going to be useless because of the ship's outer guns but obeyed, prepping herself for a hit. And just like that, they were all blasted back.

By now, Optimus was experiencing an energon surge. He reverted to beast mode and picked up Dinobot, who was barely conscious. Cheetor had dragged himself to the rising platform that led into the base. He collapsed and waited for his commander to get there with the raptor. He did but it was a tight fit as the platform rose up.

Scorponok had managed to get up from where he fell. He glared back at the Maximals, clenching his jaw, and slammed his claw down on a rock. _I will not fail Megatron completely!_ he thought and fired. He hit his target: Optimus Primal.

The Maximal leader tried with all his might to stay on and not knock anyone else off but he failed. He fell to the ground and Cheetor and Dinobot were brought into the ship. Cheetor tried to lower the platform but it was locked. The ship was preparing for a real takeoff.

"Rhinox! Open the doors!" Cheetor's voice was high with panic. "Optimus and Starfeather are still out there!"

Rattrap was typing and retyping the command but the doors wouldn't respond. "They're locked tight and they ain't respondin'!"

"This thing is barely hanging together as it is, I can't shut it down!" Rhinox stated.

-x-

Back on the ground, Starfeather was shaking the blackness from her vision. Her audio receptors were ringing with the sound of the _Axelon's_ engines at full power and the thrusters lifting it from the ground. She looked up and saw it rising and heading away. Her shoulders sagged a little. She figured she would never see Cybertron or the Maximals again. Why did they leave her behind? Did they mean to? Was this punishment for not talking for so long?

She was literally pulled from her wonderings as someone roughly grabbed her by the wings and yanked her to her feet. She cried out with pain and stared into the face of her leader who was anything but happy. "Get the others up!" Megatron barked. "This battle is not over." He threw her aside and took a running start to jump and grab hold of a support rod beneath the ship and get inside.

Starfeather picked herself up and glared after him. "I don't know how you expect me to _want_ to get with you if you keep TREATING ME LIKE SCRAP METAL!" she spat after him but did as she was told and looked around for the others, one in particular. She didn't spot him right off so she went to help Tarantulas up.

Once he was standing, they went around getting the others. She finally found who she was looking for in a small cavern between some boulders. He looked rather dazed still. Cheetor must have hit him hard. "Screechy wanna aspirin?"

Terrorsaur shook his head with dizziness and looked up at her. "Aspirin?"

"Nothing," she muttered, waving the question aside. _That was a dumb thing to say,_ she thought. "Here, let me get down there."

"Nah no, I can do it," he grunted as he tried to haul himself into a sitting position. When he failed she smiled and held out her hand.

"I missed you," she murmured.

He looked up at her again and slowly took her hand. "I... missed you too."

She beamed brighter and helped pull him up and out. If she was stuck here for the rest of her life, she was glad she wasn't stuck alone.

"Megatron!" they heard Scorponok shout in dismay. They snapped their attention in the direction all the others were and saw a glimpse of their leader before he disappeared into the lake below where the Maximal base used to be.

"So," the raven said. "Who's gonna dive in after him?"

I think you all can guess how things turn out for everyone from there.

**AN:** For those of you that don't remember how the episode ends, Megatron got kicked out of the _Axalon_ after stabbing his tail weapon into a consol in the ship, causing it to crash right back where it had been in the first place. So the series continues.

Song: **Listen to your Heart** feat. _DDR_ (Dance Dance Revolution)


	17. Dark Designs: Was Waspy Right?

**#17 - Dark Designs: Was Waspy Right?**

Starfeather was in beast mode and happily pecking up fresh raspberries from a bush not too far from her clearing. Only last week after the 'victory' had she discovered that she could still eat. That was because Terrorsaur had said that he had gotten sick of Tarantulas slobbering from eating any rodents that happened to crawl into the crevasse that they had all hidden in. It wasn't as efficient as energon but it would keep her from wanting more than one cube of energon each day.

_If only I knew how to make chocolate_, she thought wistfully as she snapped up another berry. She nearly choked on it when her COM link sprang to life.

_"Starfeather, where are you?"_ came Megatron's impatient voice.

She swallowed. "Um, out?"

_"Playtime is over,"_ he growled. _"Return to base immediately. The Maximals are in a good location for an attack, yes."_

"What? Now?"

_"Now!"_

"Y-yes sir," she squeaked and cut the link. "Oh snap," she muttered to herself. She had no time to get to her real comrades to warn them. She didn't dare try to contact through her comm. link because she had no idea if Megatron could still intercept signals or not. "Oh _snaaaaapp_," she muttered again and flapped upwards.

-x-

The Predacons were buried under an avalanche of boulders, thanks to Rhinox's smart shooting. This gave Megatron a new idea. Tarantulas had been working on one of his latest toys and it just might come in handy today...

Starfeather could barely move and she could hardly see. Her legs were getting crushed and her right arm was dislocated according to her internal computer. She could just hear voices above her, Megatron's and, erm... Terrorsaur's. She saw shadows flicker across the small shafts of light she could see and then heard rocks being shifted a little below her. The weight on her legs lessened but who ever was digging her out moved up to where her upper body was. Soon, the stone over her face was rolled away and she could see again.

"You alright?" her savior asked.

"Other than the fact that I might not be able to walk once you get me out and my arm feels like an elephant trampled on it, I'm just dandy." she announced sarcastically.

Terrorsaur laughed dryly. "I can only wonder how Waspinator faired."

"Finish freeing me then we'll find out," Starfeather replied.

"You don't have to tell me twice," he said and started moving more rocks that were covering her. When she was free and tried to get up, she fell back with a sharp cry of pain.

"Nope, can't walk," she said through gritted teeth.

The pterodactyl felt a stab of concern for the raven's well being. "Stay there, I'll get Waspinator out myself." He then went to find the trapped insect.

She sighed and leaned back against a boulder, minding her arm. _This must be my punishment for not warning the Maximals,_ she thought.

Waspinator had survived with minor damage to his wing mates' surprise. Then again, so had Megatron, Scorponok, Blackarachnia, and Tarantulas. Starfeather was the only one to suffer more severe injuries, probably because she was located below everyone else.

With everyone out and gathering together to go back to the base (with their new prisoner that Tarantulas had caught), Terrorsaur went back to where Starfeather still waited. That's when he realized what he had to do in order to help her. He had to take her in his arms like he did when she had been sick. Her situation then had been so severe, he hadn't thought twice about it. This time, someone else could take care of her if he didn't. But he found he didn't want someone else to take care of her...

She saw him hesitate and wondered why. She inclined her head and looked at him with confusion. Why wasn't he doing anything?

He saw her look and so forced himself to kneel beside her and take her in his arms. She was just as light as he remembered... He shook his head to ward off the thoughts but they continued to pester him.

Starfeather suddenly realized the awkward position they were in. She made it a point not to meet his gaze. She made a subtle sound like she was clearing her throat as she shifted so that her injured arm was resting on her chest and her good arm was around his neck to keep her steady.

Going was slower than normal, to the two's discomfort, but they soon got back to base. Starfeather was the only one in need of serious repair so Terrorsaur had to take her to the C.R. tanks.

Before the platform lowered and she off-lined for the repair sequence, she smiled up at him. "Thanks," she whispered then her optics dimmed as her body was submerged.

He stood there for a moment longer. "Yeah," he murmured. He then reverted to beast mode and left the room. He just couldn't (or wouldn't) wrap his processor around why he would do these things. He knew that sooner or later, something was going to happened and the truth would come out. He just wasn't sure if it would be for the better.

-x-

Starfeather was up and about by the time Megatron had accomplished his plans for Rhinox (to reformat his programming). In fact, he had just given the new Predacon a tour of the base.

The raven had mixed feelings about this. She thought that maybe Mega-brain had gone too far this time. It was bound to backfire, just like all of his other plans.

_"Starfeather,"_ Megatron's voice came over her comm.

She sighed. She didn't feel like getting down from her spot on a rafter in the C.R. tank room. Her legs were still sore. "What?" she replied, sounding as tired as she could.

_"There is a problem in the computer room and I want you to assist Scorponok in fixing it. Now."_ he ordered.

"Okay," she groaned and cut the link as she hovered down toward the floor. Once she got near the computer room, she met Rhinox coming in the hallway. "Hello there, little lady." he said with a smirk.

"Uh, hi," she replied, a little unnerved. She slipped passed him and walked rather quickly up to the scorpion. "Megatron sent me to help. What do you want me to do?"

"Just stay outa my way!" Scorponok snapped. "I don't need an inexperienced kid messing everything up!"

Starfeather was taken aback but her shock turned to offence. "I'm not just a kid, I'm your comrade and our leader sent me to help! Now tell me what to do because I don't know what the slaggin' problem is!"

"Well I don't know either so you can just shove it up-"

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything _too_ important," the reformed rhino stated, cutting off the Second in Command. "But the chief wants to know how long this is gonna take."

Starfeather sighed, exasperated, and crossed her arms.

"Well tell him not to get his servos in a snarl," Scorponok answered snottily. "I just have to figure out what the fraggin' problem is."

"I could help, y'know," the raven growled.

He ignored her and opened the panel to the computer. "Hold on," he muttered, taking a closer inspection of the inner workings. "The redactor modem is missing."

"No! You shock me, Scorponok," Rhinox said, faking surprise. Starfeather looked at him as he sounded too sarcastic to be only messing around. As the scorpion shoved passed her to see if there was a spare lying around, Rhinox made the 'shh' sign to her and opened his palm. The raven saw the missing modem and raised an optic brow as he crushed it and discarded its remnants on the floor. He then motioned for her to go near the wall and look like she was doing something.

She did so and watched as he went over to a stack of spare computers. "Scorponok," he called in a taunting voice. "Over here," The rhino then lightly pushed on the second piece of equipment, causing the whole stack to groan and sway.

Scorponok looked up. "Hey! You aughta be careful there!" he warned, coming closer.

_What is he doing?_ Starfeather was yelling in her head.

"Oh, I'm being real careful, see? I'm on this side and it's all gonna fall that way!" Rhinox grunted as he gave the stack a final push. It leaned and gravity pulled the machinery down. Scorponok saw this too late and tried to make a run for it but one fell on top of him, putting him to a stop. As two more fell on him, the raven could hear something being crunched.

_I think I'm gonna be sick,_ she thought, putting a hand to her mouth and trying to drown out the sound. But she didn't have time to be sick. Rhinox came back over to her.

"You didn't see anything," he said, snapping his fingers in front of her aqua green optics. She flinched and gaped up at him. "Now git an' tell Megs you were almost here, heard a crash, and came running or I'm gonna pluck you and string up like the chicken you are."

Now she was _really_ confused. "O-okay..." She then gladly ran from the room, Rhinox leaving as well only going in a different direction and taking a piece of equipment with him.

From the shadows, someone had been watching. If what he thought was true, then this just might be his chance. He just need more evidence...

-x-

Megatron was standing over the flattened form of Scorponok with Waspinator and Starfeather on either side. "Idiot! What have you done?" he was demanding of the unconscious figure, even prodding him roughly.

"The idiot doez not rezzpond. The idiot iz comatozze," the wasp spoke up.

Megatron growled. "You," he indicated at Waspinator. "Get him to the restoration chamber. And you," he directed at the raven. "Straighten up this mess." With that, he stalked out of the room. The two left standing looked at each other. The bug shrugged and grabbed the downed scorpion by the tail and dragged him away.

Starfeather sighed. She couldn't move all the equipment herself, she needed help. "I have to try anyway," she muttered and went to heave at one. She was able to move two machines against the wall but collapsed half way with the third. "Mega-dork is even- eeh! -dumber than he looks if he thinks- errh! -that I can do this- heeeyah! -by my self! I'm going to get someone to help me."

Decision made, she trudged from the room and down the halls. She stopped when she heard voices.

"...whole operation and take over! Well I got news for you _pal_..."

That was Terrorsaur.

"...here's the deal."

That was Rhinox.

What was going on? She peeked around the corner but couldn't see anything. However, now she could hear everything.

"You're gonna keep you big beak shut and do exactly what I tell ya 'cause one false move and you're a new fast food sensation; pterodactyl hot wings! Get it?"

There was a thud and soft choking noises.

"Got it," came the strangled reply. Then she heard the sound of footsteps.

Starfeather ducked back around the corner and pressed her back against the wall as flat as she could as Rhinox walked away. When she was sure the reformed rhino had really gone, she turned the corner to find Terrorsaur in robot form sitting slumped against the wall, rubbing his neck. "Hey, what happened?" she asked softly, kneeling beside him.

He was startled when she spoke and knelt beside him. "N-nothing," he replied hastily. He was shaken by Rhinox's threat.

"Don't give me that, I heard Rhinox threaten you. What happened?" she asked again.

"If you heard that, then you know why I can't tell you," he retorted.

She frowned but an idea came to her. A smiled played at her lips and she leaned closer to him. "If you won't tell me willingly, then I'll make you."

"Ha, I'd like to see you try!" He glared at her defiantly.

Her smile grew. "Oh yeah? Well then, you asked for it." With that, she leaned closer and quickly kissed him on the cheek. He froze, staring at her in pure shock as she pulled back. His mouth opened and closed a few time as he tried to say something but it wouldn't come out.

"Now will you tell me?" she asked, beginning to blush.

He continued to stare up at her. He just couldn't believe that she had done that. "I- I- You- You just- ... What did you do?" he asked like an idiot.

Starfeather had to force back her laughter. "It's just a little peck to the cheek. Now tell me what happened so I can help get you out of trouble."

What ever he was going to say next died on the way to his lips. His optics locked with hers as he desperately searched his mind to find some way to answer. He was still stunned from her unexpected move and his processor had gone blank. "I..."

"I promise, you can tell me anything you want," she said softly, sitting cross-legged in front of him and holding his gaze. "I won't tell a soul."

He attempted to find his racing thoughts again before speaking. "I... I was in the computer room when Rhinox took out Scorponok," Terrorsaur began slowly. "I thought that maybe if he was planning on shaking things up to take over, I could get him on our side. I guess not," He paused. "He knocked Waspinator silly before I confronted him."

Starfeather raised an optic ridge. _That's not good,_ she thought. "Where's Waspy now? He shouldn't be left alone like that."

Terrorsaur shrugged. "I don't know but you're right," he agreed and moved to get up, Starfeather following. The two reverted to beast mode and nearly jumped out of their mainframes when they heard Megatron's bellow.

"WHAT IS GOING ON AROUND HERE!"

They looked at each other, thinking the same thing. _That can't be good..._

-x-

A few minutes later, Megatron had called them to the main control room. When they entered, they (along with a repaired Scorponok) were ordered to stand off to the side and wait for the signal. Several moments passed before Rhinox came strolling through the room in beast mode. The Predacon leader stopped him, calling his name coolly. The rhinoceros's attention captured, he continued with saying that it was a pleasure to see him.

"Always a treat to see you too," Rhinox replied sweetly.

"Traitor," Megatron spat.

"Yup, you gotta point there," the rhino chimed. "In which case, Rhinox: Terrorize!" Once in robot form, he stood, even smugly, before the Predacon leader. "They're playing our song Megatron. Time to dance!" he sneered, seizing Megatron roughly by the throat.

"Oh, I do so hate to disappoint," the Predacon leader said. "But you won't mind if I sit this one out!" He knocked Rhinox off balance, causing him to let go.

It took a short moment for Rhinox to regain his composure only to see that that had been a signal as he was surrounded on all sides by Scorponok, Starfeather, Terrorsaur, and Megatron, who was still before him.

The mechs on either side of him transformed, the raven already had as she flew into position. Rhinox glanced around and quickly thought of a diversion. He looked at Terrorsaur, hiding the smugness. "Oh, you're back on there side now?" he questioned, faking he was shocked. "Gee, a guy can hardly keep track."

The red mech's optics widened and he immediately became uncomfortable.

"What's he talkin' about?" Scorponok demanded.

"Don't listen to him," Terrorsaur said nervously.

"When I slagged you, he was in the back watching and smirking," Rhinox sneered, pointing accusingly at the pteranodon.

"Th-that's a lie!" Terrorsaur stuttered.

Now Starfeather was really mad. Even though he really had done that, only he was smirking at his plans. "What're you trying to pull, horn head?" she snapped. "Megatron is the one doing the interrogating, now explain yourself Rhinox!"

Terrorsaur glanced at her but said nothing. Scorponok wasn't satisfied. He let out a battle cry, leaping over Rhinox's head, and landed in front of the red mech. "He's a smirker! Mangle!" he cried before lunging at him, bashing him on the head with his own.

Terrorsaur stood stunned for a second before shaking his head and kicked Scorponok away. Starfeather jumped at the scorpion, landing on his back. She unsheathed her arm blades and went to slash his tail off but someone grabbed her from behind around the neck.

"Lemme go!" she squealed but her answer was being lifted up and thrown to the deck below. She landed with a hard thud and groaned as sat up. She looked up when she heard a clang. She saw what was coming and tried to scramble to cover but cried out in pain when something landed on her legs. She looked behind her to see Terrorsaur and Scorponok in a heap.

The sound of Rhinox's machine gun echoed around the room as Starfeather tried to heave herself free. "Ow ow ow! Guys! Move! Ow!" she grunted. Suddenly, Megatron landed head first a short ways away. The rhino jumped down near him and smiled smugly.

"Well, what do you know. I win," he declared. He then continued with, "Reprogramming me was the worst mistake you ever made because now that I'm a Predacon, I'm just a little too crafty for you."

By this time, Megatron had managed to stand up, supporting himself on his tail weapon. "Yes, I-" He nearly fell over but regained his balance. "I see this now."

"It's called irony sport," Rhinox gloated. "I takeover and you head straight for the recycling bin, _yes_."

_That might be a good thing,_ the raven thought before she went back to trying to push the stunned mechs off of her leg.

"So it would seem," Megatron said. "And even now Rhinox, you're teaching me a valuable lesson."

"Yeah? What's that?" Rhinox questioned.

"Sometimes Predacons gloat too much!" The Predacons leader then shot a beam at the transmutator (the machine that had reprogrammed him in the first place) causing it to activate. Unfortunately yet fortunately at the same time for Rhinox, he was standing on the platform of it hence was changed back to normal.

He stood there for a moment, disoriented. "Wha? Wh-what happened?"

"Maximal buffoon!" Megatron roared and shot at poor Rhinox, who was knocked over. "You thought you'd outwit me?"

Just then, there was a loud crash and the ship's alarm went off. When the dust cleared, there was a gaping whole in the _Darkside's_ hull and just outside were Optimus, Rattrap, Cheetor, and Dinobot.

"Okay so how's about we punt you butts a couple hundred yards down field!" Cheetor challenged.

By this time, Scorponok was able to get up and he was ready for battle at his leader's side. Starfeather had gotten up as well when Terrorsaur had moved. That's when Waspinator came zooming all around, buzzing up a storm. "De-decepticonz, attack! Attack!" was all that made sense through his razzing.

The cheetah took this opportunity to blast the bug right out of the air. Waspinator spiraled to the ground. When he fell on his face, reflex caused his finger to apply enough pressure on the trigger of his gun that he was holding and the shot hit a spire of the transmutator. Its systems began to overload.

Meanwhile, several battles were being undertaken between Dinobot and Scorponok, Megatron and Optimus, Terrorsaur and Rattrap, and Starfeather and Cheetor.

"Punt our butts down field?" the raven questioned and attempted to punch his face. Cheetor ducked and swiped at the side of her head.

She dodged. "And you could come up with something better?" he grunted when she got him in the gut.

"I just thought it was corny- Ahh!" she cried when he tripped her and pinned her down. "Okay okay! It was brilliant!" she squawked.

Cheetor chuckled and decided to see where everyone else was. His smirk disappeared when he saw what was happening to his leader. "Optimus!" he shouted.

Currently, Primal was cornered by Megatron. Thanks to some quick thinking, and a very sharp sword, he cut the Predacon leader's T. Rex head arm clean off. Starfeather saw this too from her place under Cheetor's foot. She gasped but didn't feel sympathy toward Megatron. He deserved it. Then, the whole base started to quake. The cheetah let Starfeather up, shoving her aside toward what he hoped was a sheltered spot and called out, "It's gonna blow!"

Megatron came to the same conclusion. "Predacons! Take cover!" he ordered.

The Maximals collected Rhinox and hightailed it out of there.

Starfeather grabbed an unconscious Waspinator and dragged him to a spot by the wall behind a support beam. Near by, she could hear Terrorsaur's voice, high with uneasiness.

"No! Look, I- I can explain!"

"Let me share this with you, Terrorsaur," came Megatron's voice, forced calmness but not for the next part of what he said. "I am very, very unhappy indeed. Oh _yes_..."

-x-

ZAP.

"Ow! Easy with the soldering!"

"Sorry but you keep moving."

"Well if Waspinator would stop acting like he was gonna crash into me!"

Starfeather was doing what she could to help repair her wing mates since all available C.R. tanks were occupied. Waspinator wouldn't come down from his flying about in random, jerky movements so she was fixing up Terrorsaur.

"Not Wazzzpinator, Wonko! Wonko the _zzaaaaane_!" the wasp declared before he went splat against the far wall and slid to the floor in a heap. Terrorsaur smirked. Starfeather rolled her optics and continued her work.

"Okay, he's down. Now quit flinching," she urged gently.

Terrorsaur sighed and leaned back against the support beam. Fortunately, Megatron hadn't gone with an all out beating, he just shook him up a little. All he had to show for it was several dents and some circuits and wires disconnected.

He randomly turned his sights from where the wasp lay, twitching and buzzing, to what Starfeather was doing. He watched as her delicate hands worked so gently to reattach a loose wire on his side. His optics rose to study her smooth face which was fixed in a concentrated expression, her aqua green optics narrowed slightly.

He remembered what she had done back in the hallway about an hour before. Despite the way he had reacted, he had, as much as he wanted to deny it, liked it. It made his spark go wild in his chest. He wanted to say that he didn't want her to do it again but he really did.

Could what Waspinator have said before really be true? Did he really 'love' her?

She glanced up when she was done with her task and caught his optics. She smiled shyly but he quickly diverted his gaze. He didn't want to become frozen by her optics this time. He heard her sigh wistfully.

"Anything else I can do?" she asked.

Terrorsaur looked around to make sure no one was near. When he was certain, though continuing to stare at the floor beside him, he asked quietly, "Do... do you think what Waspinator said is true?"

She blinked. "Waspy says a lot of things. Could you be specific please?"

"I mean... what he said after that game we played back when you were poisoned," he specified.

Starfeather had to think for a second. "Oh, that... Well, if it is true, I don't see why you make it sound like a bad thing. From what I understand, it... love isn't something to be taken lightly," she said slowly. When he only looked at her, almost helplessly, she gave him a reassuring smile. "We can take it slow and see what happens or stop while we're ahead. What ever you want."

"It seems like you know what you're talking about," he replied.

She looked down. "I did like someone at one point, but he moved to another state to go to collage and forgot about me. That's not love though," After a short silence, she looked up and held his gaze again. "If something happens to us, you won't forget about me, will you?"

_It would be kinda hard to forget her,_ he thought. She had such an impact to daily life on just about everyone. Things might fall apart if she were to die or be sent home on short notice. Terrorsaur found that he didn't want anything to happen to her. He wanted for her to always be around with him and Waspinator.

He paused before answering. "No, I would never forget you."

She smiled. "Thanks... and that's as far as we can go if you want."

He smiled back. "Alright."

Just then, Waspinator had gotten up and attempted to fly again but failed and crashed right into the red mech's lap.

"WASPINATOR!"


	18. He Strikes Yet Again

**#18 - He Strikes Yet Again**

Starfeather was in recharge in her quarters. She was lying on her stomach with her head turned to face the wall. She murmured something in her sleep and rolled to her side and exhaled. Suddenly, her door quietly hissed opened. The figure in the doorway simply stood there looking in, crimson optics glowing in the dark. He nodded with satisfaction before backing away, allowing the door to close, then locked it.

-x-

Hours went by without any disturbances. The whole base was asleep... but a dark figure soundlessly walked down the hallways up to a certain door. He typed his own code on the lock panel and it opened. He smirked and went inside.

Starfeather had moved to her other side and was loosely curled into a ball. She was blissfully unaware of the impending danger in the waking world.

Megatron now stood at her bedside, smirking down at her. _This is almost too easy,_ he thought as he reached a finger to lightly caress her cheek. She groaned and clumsily swiped at his hand but stayed in recharge. He chuckled softly. _Much too easy._

He then eased her into his arms, careful to keep her asleep. She did stay asleep. In fact, she cuddled closer and murmured, "Daddy..."

Her father must be an impressive human for her to think that that was who was carrying her or the fact that she was only sleeping. In any case, he played the part by resting his head fondly on hers. He heard her muffled sigh and smirked again with satisfaction. He then exited her quarters and went toward his own, locking the door this time.

He gently set her on his bed. She grunted and mumbled something under her breath as she shifted to her side, facing away from him. "Qui' movin' me..."

"I shall do more than that, my dear," Megatron whispered and began to quietly take off his armor platting. He left his pelvic plate on and set the others to the side. He then took his place at the raven's side and stroked her helm feathers. They were so smooth and silky.

Starfeather shook her head groggily, her optical lights flickering, and rolled to her other side, facing away from him. "Stoppit..."

He had to be more careful about his moves if he was going to keep her at least somewhat in recharge before he made his move. He waited several minutes until he heard her breathing coming slowly and rhythmically. She was deep in sleep again. Gently, he rolled her over onto her back. She merely sighed when he removed his hand.

He smirked. He then eased his hand across her waist, feeling up and down her side until he found what he was searching for; the clasp to her abdominal plate. He unhitched it and did the same to her other side. He lifted the plate off her body to expose the softer, more pliable and sensitive metal underneath. He set it aside and smoothed his hand over her stomach.

He said nothing as he bent over and touched his hungry lips to her waist. She moaned and snuggled into him. "Thatickles..." she slurred.

"I'm sure it does," Megatron rumbled, snaking his arms around her. He saw her smile slightly and sigh again. He captured her lips and felt around with a hand for the clasp to another plate. He fingered the clasp and worked it open as he purred with growing satisfaction. _This _is_ too easy,_ he thought.

He was surprised when he felt her slim arms loosely around his neck. He pulled back enough to see why Starfeather had given in so quickly. He saw that her enchanting aqua green optics half open and a silly smile on her face. She must be half awake and senseless.

He resumed his assault unhitching both clasps to the other armor plate. He slowly began trying to slip it off from between himself and her body.

She knew something didn't feel right about this dream. The hands that were pleasuring her were cold and rough. The lips on hers were too hungry... no... No, it couldn't be!

Suddenly, her optics shot open and her body stiffened. She was wide awake now. Megatron felt this and purred all the deeper. She gasped as best she could and tried to scream so someone would hear but it was muffled. She started to struggle but realized he had pinned her down. She struggled all the harder until a hand pressed to her mouth when Megatron pulled back. "We've come this far, my dear. Don't spoil it now, _yes_."

She shook her head, growling. She tried to bite his hand but that didn't work. He grabbed her neck just hard enough for it to hurt and hamper her voice. Predictably, she attempted crying for help. Suddenly, something happened that they both didn't expect. There was a knock on the door and the Second in Command's voice came through the communicator by the door.

_"Forgive me for waking you Megatron, but a stasis pod has crashed two hundred clicks south of here at sector 211, 53."_

Megatron got up from the bed with Starfeather's throat still in his grasp hence taking her with him. "Make any noise and I _will_ kill you," he hissed. With his free hand, he pushed the button to reply. "You are forgiven this time, Scorponok. Get Terrorsaur up, brief him, and tell him to wait for me. I'll be out within a few moments."

_"Yes sir,"_ came the reply.

The Predacon leader turned back to her. "You will stay here and be quiet until I come back. Then we will start right where we left off, yes." He didn't wait for a response before he thrust her to the floor and went over the where he stored his armor.

She sat up and watched him, confusion taking over her fear. "What... what're you... doing?"

He looked back after he snapped on the platting to his arms. "What does it look like?"

She paused. "...putting on protective coverings?"

"You did not know you could remove them?" He looked at her questioningly, snapping on the plates for his legs. "Then just look at yourself."

She did and gasped, crossing her arms over her waist and glared up at him. "What did you do?"

He smirked, fixing on his back covering. "Such sweetness underneath the wrapping."

She hissed. "I'll show you sweet!"

"I'm sure you will," he muttered. Checking the clasps, he left the room, locking the door and turning on the sound proofing system.

Starfeather sat there, scared to death, locked in the Predacon leader's room. Seeing she was by herself, she slowly moved her arms to study her body. "Oh my stars," she whispered. She honestly hadn't known that she could take her armor off. She glanced to the side and saw her abdominal armor piece. "Might as well," She shrugged and took her plate and clipped it on. Then she went to reclasp her loose breast plate... only to find she couldn't. She tried and tried again but she couldn't get it to stay.

"Come on," she growled. "Lock... argh! Why can't I put on my own armor?"

-x-

"Couldn't you have gotten Waspinator up instead?" Terrorsaur yawned.

"No," Megatron snapped. "Now focus on the mission or there will be consequences."

There was no further complaining from the pteranodon. The two were in beast mode and just setting out for the fallen pod. Forty-five minutes later, they arrived at the crash sight but the protoform inside was dead. The life support systems had been hit by a small meteor. Mission: failed.

They returned to base. All Terrorsaur could think about was going back to recharge as he walked behind Megatron down the hallway but as he passed Starfeather's door, he slowed down.

_It wouldn't hurt to check on her,_ he thought and stopped. He looked up and down the hall to make sure Megatron had gone. Coast clear, he put in the code she gave him and opened the door a crack. He couldn't really see anything so opened it a little more.

There wasn't anyone on the bed.

He went all the way inside, even turning on the light. She wasn't there... but he knew where she might be. A muffled shout confirmed his suspicions.

-x-

What had happened was this.

Starfeather, still unable to attach her breast plate, was stuck keeping a hand pressed to it, looking like she had her hand over her spark.

While Megatron was gone, she hadn't sat and moped about. Oh no. She came up with a little escape plan. She wasn't going to hold back this time. She was going to shoot as many throwing stars as it took to get him down and she would kill him this time.

She crouched off to one side of the door and waited. She waited for maybe over an hour. She nearly fell back asleep before the door hissed open. She snapped up her free arm and shot at him... but all she hit was his arm, held in a defensive position.

"Cheater!" she shouted.

"You have no idea," Megatron replied. "And I might call you a cheater as well."

She snorted. "Why? I play fare."

"And how's that?" he spat.

"You called Terrorsaur to go with you, right? You're still in the doorway, right?" she questioned.

"Not for long," he growled.

"Couldn't've said it better myself," a new voice spoke. Before anyone could react, there was a clang and Megatron fell to the floor. Terrorsaur peeked inside. "You okay?"

"Nothing serious," Starfeather answered, standing up.

"Good," Her wing mate nodded. "Now let's finish 'im," he said and flipped his blaster around from holding the barrel to the handle with his finger ready on the trigger.

"Wait!" she blurted out. When Terrorsaur looked at her strangely, she recoiled. "Don't kill him... yet."

"Give me one good reason not to," he said darkly.

"Well..." She stopped to think for a second. "Well, if you kill him, what would Scorponok, Tarantulas, and Blackarachnia do if they choose not to follow you? That's three against three... and... we might not..." She didn't want to say that she, Terrorsaur and Waspinator might be weaker than the others but it was true. Scorponok had missiles in each claw, Tarantulas had all those inventions he could use against them, and he and Blackarachnia had cyber venom.

Terrorsaur could see what Starfeather was saying. He didn't like the thought of it but he didn't like the outcome of the other option either. Punishment. _Severe_ punishment. For both of them even. Even so, he knew she was right and lowered his blaster.

"Megatron is so fraggin' lucky tonight," he growled.

"We can at least tie him up and lock the door from the outside," she reasoned. He liked this idea.

-x-

Task accomplished, they exited his room, locked the door, and Terrorsaur escorted Starfeather to her quarters. Once there, he noticed that she hadn't removed her hand from her chest over her spark. Before he let her go into her room, he asked her, "Megatron didn't... didn't spark with you, did he?"

She stared at him. _Spark with me? _What was sparking? "No, he didn't do anything but... he undid..." She glanced up to see him giving her a weird look and swallowed before rushing out, "Ican'tgetmychestplatebackon."

He continued to stare at her. "You... what?"

"He tried to take off my chest plate and I can't clasp it back on so I have to hold it." By now, her cheeks, not to mention her whole body, was hot and her face was turning from pink to red.

Terrorsaur still stared at her. "And you're telling me this... why?"

"Could... could you, maybe... kinda, sorta... help me latch it on?" she pleaded. Of course she realized how very awkward this was to ask of him but she couldn't go to sleep like this! He or Waspy came in just about every morning to get her up and she did NOT want anyone to see her topless.

"Uhh..." _Help her attach her breast plate?_ Was she nuts? Correction: Was _he_ nuts? Just the thought sent a foreign sensation flowing through his circuits. "...are you sure you can't do it? It's your...thing."

"I've been trying for over an hour," she whimpered, almost sobbed. This was so embarrassing. "I didn't even know these things could come off before now." This was _sooo_ embarrassing...

He did not want to be anywhere near where his hands shouldn't be. The last thing he wanted was for his thoughts to get the better of his mental vision. Speaking of which, things were already coming to him. _Primus, help me... _"Oh... a-alright." He couldn't say no to the innocent, pleading look she was giving him. He pushed her ahead of him into her room, allowing the door to close. At least he could do this in private. Starfeather also got the idea and cooperated.

He felt gingerly with his finger tips to find the clasp. She had to suppress quivering as she could feel his fingers barely touch her side and finally find the lock. He fiddled with it before there was a click and it was on.

He immediately stepped back and she didn't look up. "Thanks," she said, barely above a whisper.

He nodded and there was a tense silence. Neither knew how long this lasted, it seemed to stretch long into the early morning hours when in reality, it was only less than five minutes. Finally, Starfeather spoke. "Well, uh, th-thanks again but... I- I think we should be getting back to bed."

Terrorsaur suddenly realized how tired he was and had to agree with her. "Yeah... I guess this is good night then."

She nodded but surprisingly found it inside herself to say something clever. "More like good morning."

He managed a smile. "Alright then, good morning."

"Good morning," She smiled back and watched him leave. When she heard the lock activate, she sighed. "I am in so much trouble," she moaned. What she meant by this was she was in trouble with the Maximals. She thought this because one sentence was now dominant in her mind.

_I think we're in love._

Her crush had been growing, growing from the little sprout to a sapling. But that sapling could still be cut down. What if he didn't want to take it any further? He was already uncomfortable around her as it was...

She put her hands to her face and slowly rubbed up and down. "_Nuuhhh_... I'm too tired to think..." That said, she wandered over to her bed and just fell onto it. She stared up at the ceiling for a long time, keeping her mind as blank as she could until her systems powered down to recharge.

-x-

Meanwhile, Terrorsaur didn't have as easy a time going back to sleep. He stared from the wall to the ceiling and back again. What was he going to do with himself? Tonight, it was even harder to get her out of his head. He tried drowning her out with planning how he was going to smash Megatron and beat the other three arachnids into submission to follow him. But this was in vain.

This went on for about an hour before he gave voice to his frustrations.

"Why can't I get her out of my head?" he hissed.

The effort of talking finally exhausted him as it became increasingly harder to keep his optics open. Soon, he was out like a light.

-x-

For the next few days, things were rather quiet around the base. Terrorsaur and Starfeather both made it obvious that they had nothing much to say to each other and tried not to stay in the same room. Neither knew what was wrong.

Waspinator was growing concerned about why Bird-bot and Terrorsaur didn't talk much anymore. So, he took the liberty of approaching the raven a week after the incident, which he still didn't know about, and asked, "Bird-bot angry with Terrorsaur?"

Starfeather looked up from checking the perimeter radar. "Of course not Waspy. Why would you think that?"

"Well, Bird-bot never in zzame room azzz Terrorsaur for very long," Waspinator said.

"Oh, well, uh, we just, erm, I... I really don't know," she replied, looking away and back to the screen.

"Not love birdz anymore?" he wondered, looking disappointed. He thought that they were cute together and, though it made Terrorsaur snappish, he had seemed happier.

"Well, I wouldn't say that," she said but still watched the radar line spin around the screen. "We just... need some personal space for now." The memory of how physically close they had been caused her to want to giggle like a school girl but she just coughed.

"Oh, okay." Satisfied, Waspinator left her to finish the radar perimeter check before she was moved to monitor duty.

Now alone, Starfeather sighed. What was she going to do with herself? This was the first time she had had feelings for an advanced alien robot while they fought a mini war beside the fact that she was a secret agent. A _Maximal_. How could she make it work with a Predacon, especially one like him? She had no idea what to do.


	19. Anywhere

**#19 - Anywhere**

**AN:** This is the chapter you all have been waiting for (teehee).

Punishment had been slow in coming for Starfeather and Terrorsaur. And what was their punishment you might ask? Complete isolation with no energon rations in the brig for two days, each in their own soundproof cell.

Terrorsaur had spent most of his time seething and planning on what he was going to do to Megatron when he attempted a takeover again. Other things were also on his mind.

Starfeather, however, had spent her fist few hours pouting. After concluding that that was doing nothing but making her feel miserable, she settled for forced sleeping, making her systems power down into recharge.

The next morning, she woke up to feel a gnawing, subtle pain in her gut and felt weak. The Transformer equivalent to hunger: power drainage. She didn't dwell on that. She needed to get things straightened out and figure out what to do from there. So, she formulated a plan. She would ask him if he wanted to take it further, far away from the others to ensure that no one (Waspy in particular) would walk in on them, at her special place and show him and herself that there is nothing to fear or be nervous about.

-x-

Tarantulas was ordered to release the two. Waspinator tagged along and when Starfeather's cell was opened, she had barely stepped out when a green and yellow blur knocked them both backwards back into cell but she was laughing.

"Yes, I missed you too now get off please! I can't feel my hands!"

The spider watched all this, commenting to himself, "That wasp is so childish."

-x-

A few days later, Megatron was feeling rather generous so he gave his men an off day. Nothing really important needed to be done and the Maximals were quiet as ever so why not? He could use a brake himself.

He didn't feel like ruffling that blasted raven's feathers today. A nice, long hot bath with his rubber ducky would be just perfect...

-x-

"Bird-bot! Wake up!" Waspinator exclaimed as he pounced on her in his beast mode.

"Bwaak!" she squawked when the wasp landed on her stomach. "Waspinator! What are you doing?"

"Wazzpinator and Terrorsaur hungry and want Bird-bot to play Uno cardz."

"Now?" she groaned, pushing him off near her feet before sitting up and crossing her arms. "You _and _Terrorsaur know perfectly well that I am **not** a morning person, right?"

"Wazpinator and Terrorsaur knowzz but Wazpinator want Bird-bot up now," he answered innocently.

"_Nuuhhh_," she moaned, falling back onto her back, throwing her arms over her head. "Fine. Jus' lemme wake up a bit more..."

"Ooh, Wazzzpinator help!" He then jumped on her again and began tickling her. She screamed with laughter and kicked to try and get him off.

"Stop!" she shrieked through laughter. "Stop it! Stop it! STOP IT!"

"Waspinator!" a new voice yelled. "What're you doing to her?"

"Terrorsaur, please! _Make him __**stop**_!" Starfeather pleaded through her fit of cackling and screaming.

"My pleasure," Terrorsaur said and came at the wasp, planning on grabbing him and dragging him off and out of Starfeather's room.

Waspinator stopped, seeing this. "Uh oh," He then jumped into the air and tried to zoom away but Terrorsaur got him and caused the wasp to fall on his back on the floor.

"Ha ha! Pay back time!" Starfeather cried and began tickling Waspinator.

"No, Bird-bot!" he buzzed. "Zzztop!"

Terrorsaur watched for a while, smirking to himself, before deciding to break it up. "Okay, I hate to break up a good squabble but I'm drained. Let's go."

Starfeather ceased her 'attack', took a deep breath, and exhaled long and loud, collapsing on her back again and spreading out her wings and arms to either side. "Oh man... what a wake up call."

Waspinator transformed and grabbed her ankles, attempting to drag her to the cafeteria/lounge room. "Bird-bot, come on!"

"Hey! Cut it out!" she squealed. "Terrorsaur! A little help!"

"Alright," But Terrorsaur had another idea. He took her wrists and now, she was suspended between the two mechs like a living hammock. Waspinator giggled.

"Hey! That's NOT helping!" Starfeather managed through her laughter. They all laughed for a moment before she had enough and kicked out, causing Waspinator to let go. Her backside hit the floor and she grunted with slight pain. "Slag you, bug." she muttered teasingly.

Waspinator eeped and raced out of her room.

Terrorsaur chuckled and pulled her up so she could stand. Her back was to him and his hands slipped to clasp hers. This gave her an idea. She guided his arms around her and leaned back against him, smiling sheepishly.

He wasn't quite sure what she was doing or why he was going along with it, but he liked it. He held her closer against him and rested his chin on the top of her head. Ever since she had first kissed him, he wanted more. He now wanted to hold her like this all the time, he wanted to know that she was safe and happy, he wanted to feel what she was like... to taste who she was.

He stopped himself with that thought and let go. That was too much to ask of her now. He hadn't even wanted that a few weeks ago. What had gotten into him?

Starfeather turned and looked at him curiously. He looked down, not wanting for her to look into his optics and see his thoughts, not that she could but that's what it felt like. She smiled reassuringly, leaned forward, and kissed his cheek once again. He froze, just like the last time. She giggled and took his hand to lead him to the cafeteria/lounge room.

Once there, Waspinator raised his head from resting on his arms and beamed. "Love birdzz take forever," he whined.

"Shut up, Waspinator," they both said in unison. Terrorsaur took his usual seat at their favorite table and Starfeather sat in her normal place, in-between the two mechs leaving a space on the other side of the table facing the door.

"Anything specific Megs wants us to do today?" she wondered.

"Wazpinator hear Zzcorpion-bot say that Megatron give everybody day off."

The other two fliers gaped at him. "You serious?" Terrorsaur demanded. Waspinator nodded enthusiastically.

_Thank you Megatron,_ Starfeather thought. "In that case, what do you guys wanna do today?"

"Wazpinator want to play Uno cardzz!" the wasp exclaimed.

"Alright then but I have an idea. Let me show you how to play without the rig," the raven said before she left to go back to her room. She found the game and took the cards out of the 'attack' machine and took out the unnecessary cards. She came back with the rest and showed her wing mates how to do it.

The two mechs had slight difficulty adjusting to this method but they found it easy and almost as fun.

-x-

The three played until late in the afternoon. By this time, Starfeather was growing restless. Not just because she had less time to get things sorted out, but she was a flier and all fliers have an instinctual need to get out and feel the freedom of the skies.

She held back until around sunset. When she did approach Terrorsaur, he was making himself comfortable in the command chair. She smirked. "All hail Terrorsaur, leader of the Predacons!" she declared, overemphasizing a bow.

He flinched and jerked his attention to who had spoken then relaxed. "And what reason does my loyal subject have for interrupting my plans of conduct?" he replied with an amused grin.

She giggled and looked up at him again. "I wish to request a flight with m'lord."

**Dear my love**

**Haven't you wanted to be with me and**

**Dear my love**

**Haven't you longed to be free?**

"A flight to where?" he asked, no longer exaggerating an authoritative tone.

"Oh," She straightened up. "Just this cool place I found..." Suddenly, she wasn't so sure that he would want to go out alone with her, but she didn't let her doubt show.

**I can't keep pretending that I don't even know you**

**And at sweet night**

**You are my own**

Part of him wanted to ask if she planned on asking Waspinator to come too but the other half was hoping it would be just him and her. The very thought of it seemed to fill his spark, his whole body, with this strange sensation. He didn't know what this feeling was. He still wasn't quite sure that he liked it. "I... I guess so."

"Oh good," she sighed, relived. "And there's something I have to tell you too," she added, smiling a little and starting to head toward the base exit.

He wondered what it was she had to say but pushed the thought aside for now. He got out of the command chair and caught up beside her. Starfeather smiled even brighter and, a little hesitantly, slipped her hand into his.

**Take my hand**

Terrorsaur turned his attention to her curiously. She grinned innocently and forced her sight on the way out. Once they were outside, they let go, transformed to their respective beast modes, and took off.

**We're leaving here tonight**

**There's no need to tell anyone**

**They'd only hold us down**

From the shadows, someone was watching the two. His suspicions had been growing for weeks now. When they left the base, he followed to see if these suspicions of his were correct...

**So by the morning's light**

**We'll be half way to anywhere**

**Where love is more than just your name**

They flew silently, Starfeather in the lead because Terrorsaur had no idea where they were going. She looked behind her to make sure that he was still following. He continued close behind without a question so she smiled and sped up. He saw this and went faster too. Pretty soon, they were racing.

They laughed and dodged each other, swerving and swooping over the darkened trees as shadows engulfed the landscape.

**I have dreamt of a place for you and I**

**No one knows who we are there**

Eventually, the two reached Starfeather's secret refuge. When they transformed to robot mode and landed, Terrorsaur was amazed at the sight of the place. He never knew such organic beauty could exist on such a primitive planet. A few giant moss-covered rocks piled in the center, large oak tree growing on top of them, most of its roots spread around on the ground. One large root grew above a little stream that flowed through the clearing. The place was nearly covered in yellow, white, and light pink wild flowers. The clearing was also lined with a make-shift stick fence.

"Welcome to my secret garden," Starfeather announced when she stood on the first rock of the mound, spreading her arms to either side and her wings folded neatly against her back.

**All I want is to give my life fully to you**

Terrorsaur was speechless. The moons were now shinning down on her, seeming to illuminate her as brightly as her aqua green optics. With the flowers creating a soft, pastel haze in the background, she looked so beautiful... He quickly shook his head. _What_ was he thinking? She was just a friend! But... he had thought the same thing before when she had been at her lowest on her near death bed.

She saw him shake his head. "Is something wrong?" she asked, a little disappointed.

**I've dreamt so long**

**I cannot dream anymore**

**Let's run away**

**I'll take you there**

"Oh, no no, nothing's wrong. I just... It's only- I- I mean..." He was unsure what to say next. His mind had suddenly gone blank.

"Just what?" she asked more gently, the disappointment gone.

The only thing he could get out that made any sense was, "What is wrong with me lately?"

Starfeather walked up to him and placed one hand on his shoulder and the other on his chest, gazing directly into his optics. Terrorsaur flinched slightly at her touch but he didn't say anything. He just gazed back at her, their optic sights seeming to lock together.

"Nothing's wrong with you," she whispered, barely audible.

Without realizing it, he raised his arms to hold her where she was. They stood like this for a long moment, neither knowing for how long nor daring to speak and shatter this trance. The only noises were a few night birds, the soft gurgle of the stream, and the crickets' orchestra.

**We're leaving here tonight**

**There's no need to tell anyone**

**They'd only hold us down**

**So by the morning's light**

**We'll be half way to anywhere**

**Where no one needs a reason**

Finally, Starfeather broke the silence.

"Do you... want to sit down?" she asked softly.

"Sure," Terrorsaur answered.

The two walked up to the highest rock. Once there, they sat close to each other but not right next to the other. They didn't catch the other's gazes this time. She just fumbled with her fingers awkwardly while he studied the mossy stone surface by his hand.

"So..." Starfeather started again, getting a little desperate to break the heavy quiet. "Have... have you always been under Megatron?" she wondered.

He looked to her, shaking his head. "No," was all he said in response.

She forced herself to look at his face. "What did you used to do?"

Terrorsaur paused, not sure if he should give her his whole life story or just the bit he thought she should know. "Well... before Megatron approached me and asked me to be a part of this crew, I worked at this ship yard where I built and repaired all kinds of vehicles. That's why it was so easy for me and Waspinator to steal a ship to bring us here. I had a maintenance worker pass to high security battleship hangers. We just had to take out some guards and that was it," he explained.

"Really?" She inclined her head with interest. "Well, I never got to have a job yet. I just did chores... I was thinking about maybe being a singer or voice actor. I just need to get some education and the courage to perform in public."

He looked at her. "A singer? Is that what your parents wanted?"

"No, that's just my dream job," she said, shrugging it off like a silly joke. "I don't think I ever will be. If anything, I'm probably going to be a nurse or something like that."

"My parents wanted me to be some kind of scientist too. I started to study bit but... something... something happened..." He trailed off as he looked away toward the dark forest. His mind was flooding with memories that he wished he didn't have anymore.

Starfeather's gaze softened, sensing that it was a dark burden. "What happened?"

Terrorsaur shook his head. "It's nothing you need to worry about. We were both dragged into this whole thing basically the same way... only yours was an accident."

She wondered what it was that he wasn't telling her, but she didn't ponder on this too long. She found her chance to push things in another direction. "I guess you're right," she said, inching a little closer. "But... is it an accident the way we act around each other?" she prompted, inching even closer, their fingers now touching.

**Forget this life**

**Come with me**

**Don't look back**

**You're safe now**

Terrorsaur looked down at their hands then back up at her. "I don't know," he answered, beginning to smile as he placed his hand over hers. Her spark whirled in its chamber and her face heated up at his touch. She gazed into his crimson optics once again, so wanting to show him how she felt but knew that now wasn't the right time.

He narrowed his optics. "You know, I don't think you ever told me what you said you had to tell me."

**Unlock your heart**

**Drop your guard**

**No one's left to stop you**

"That's right," she murmured and leaned closer as if to whisper a secret. "I wanted to say that I... I like you, quite a bit." She looked into his face, a silly grin fighting its way to her lips.

"You do?" Terrorsaur asked, suddenly nervous. So she did like him more than a friend. He was guessing what she wanted him to do next but he wasn't sure he was ready. Sure, he liked her too and had wanted this for a while but he had never had real experience with femmes before. Could he keep her once he kissed her? Megatron still wanted her.

**Forget this life**

**Come with me**

**Don't look back**

**You're safe now**

"Do you mind if we... maybe..." Starfeather leaned even closer until their faces were about a hand width apart.

**Unlock your heart**

**Drop your guard**

Terrorsaur felt her warm breath on his cheek and any doubt he had melted away. "No, I don't..." he murmured, leaning closer until their foreheads touched.

Now was the time.

**No one's left to stop you now**

She thrust her lips upon his first, dimming her optics. He was briefly stunned by her quickness but soon dimmed his own optics and returned the kiss. Maybe Waspinator being right about how they really felt about each other wasn't such a bad thing. Terrorsaur had wanted to be something more to her but didn't know how to go about doing it in a way that she wouldn't shy away from him. Now he knew that she wanted to be more than just friends as well. Maybe he could do this.

When they pulled away, all he could do was stare into her pure stars of aqua green light. Starfeather tried to look away as she was reddening even more but found that she could not. Her optics were glued to Terrorsaur's pale face. Her spark was racing and she was breathing in short, soft gasps.

Then, as if in slow motion, he brought his right hand to her cheek and looking as if he didn't believe that they had just done what they did. She managed a faint reassuring smile. It seemed like hours passed before he made another move. He raised his other hand, cupping her face within his black fingers. Her own hands found the sides of his head and, optics dimming again as they pulled each other closer, and kissed even more deeply than the first time.

Starfeather's arms soon wrapped themselves around his neck as he moved his own arms around her, pulling her even closer. She was now practically in his lap.

Terrorsaur had never felt this way about anyone before. This feeling was even better than being super charged with raw energon. He wanted to kiss her like this forever. Forget the Maximals. Forget the Predacons. Forget Megatron! He had all that he want, right here, right now.

Starfeather had always dreamed of having her prince meets princess kiss with her true love beneath the full moon like this but this was even better than her fairy-tail day dream. It was real. She was so thrilled that Terrorsaur was willing to take their friendship farther than they had ever thought of going.

**We're leaving here tonight**

**There's no need to tell anyone**

**They'd only hold us down**

**So by the morning's light**

They held each other tightly, neither wanting to let go or pull away. For once, they had no worries. No fears or doubts. No anger or hostility. And for a fleeting moment, nothing and no one else existed in the entire universe. Everything was completely perfect and at total peace.

**We'll be half way to anywhere**

**Where love is more than just your name...**

Their stalker watched them kiss in anger. "No, no, no! This will ruin everything!" he hissed to himself. "I must put a stop to this," he growled and, silently, scurried away.

**AN:** Song: **Anywhere** by _Evanescence_


	20. Why She Stays

**#20 - Why She Stays**

When they finally pulled a part, Terrorsaur felt like he had dropped a heavy load that he'd been lugging around for Primus-knows-how-long. He gazed into Starfeather's bright, glittering optics for a moment, almost disbelievingly. Now he knew why he acted so and what this feeling was... and he did not fear it or resent it anymore.

Starfeather then fell on him in a hug, resting her head on his shoulder. "Thanks," she whispered.

Terrorsaur placed an arm around her and held her tightly, but gently. "Don't mention it kid," He used to say that to her all the time before she mentioned that she wasn't a kid anymore. She had grown to miss him calling her that. He then began rubbing her back soothingly. "Seriously, don't."

She giggled, smiling, and closed her optics. She felt as if she could do absolutely anything she wanted to do, anything at all, as long as Terrorsaur was right there with her. Needless to say, the feeling was mutual.

They stayed like that for a long time. Starfeather nearly fell asleep until Terrorsaur said, "I'm tired of sitting around. I though you said you wanted to fly?" he complained though didn't make any move.

She giggled again. "I did, didn't I? Well then, banana beak, let's fly." She eased herself from his arms and stood up.

"Banana beak huh?" He stood also. "Well then, you're an ink drenched thief."

"An ink drenched thief?" she questioned, faking offence. "What did I steal from you?"

"My sanity." With that, Terrorsaur jumped into the sky, transformed, and took off, giving a primal taunting cry from his beast form.

"Hey!" Starfeather laughed and followed suit. They flew just above the treetops and played chase. "Bet you can't catch me!" she called, soaring ahead.

"We'll see about that," He sped up and was just about to tag the tip of her tail feathers when she dove down and swooped behind him. He was stunned for a moment by her quick move but he dove into the trees and disappeared. Starfeather narrowed her optics and followed.

She flew through the trees but couldn't find him. She transformed and searched a little more but still couldn't find him.

"Terrorsaur?" she called.

Suddenly, she felt someone grab around the waist and lift her higher into the air. She cried out in surprise and started laughing after her captor spoke.

"Gotchya," he said.

Starfeather growled, pretending to be upset, and tried to get out of his firm grasp but he held her fast as he carried her over the forest. He wanted to get farther away from the Predacon base so that they couldn't track them. Little did he know that he had gone much farther than he intended.

She stayed still as he took her high above a small lake fed by a tall waterfall, shadowed by a shier cliff. She wondered what he could be doing. She gasped slightly when he went into a free fall. She suddenly realized that he was going to dive right into the water. She growled again, this time meaning it. She didn't want to get wet right now.

He chuckled softly as he continued, holding on to her tightly. Now that they were together, he wanted to see how far they both were willing to go tonight. He had blinded himself from her for too long.

The shimmering surface of the water was getting closer and closer. Starfeather was now struggling harder to try and get away from him. "Oh no you don't," he murmured as he tightened his grip.

She let out an exasperated sigh. "Oh, fine."

-x-

Rhinox was up late that night, tinkering on one of his many projects, and decided to check the perimeter scanners just to be safe. When he did, he found two Predacon signatures too close for comfort. Like 'nearly right on top of the base' too close for comfort.

"Optimus," he called via comm. link. "There are two Predacon signatures nearly on top of us."

_"Identity?"_ Optimus responded.

Rhinox touched a button, read the results on the screen, and replied, "Starfeather and Terrorsaur. Should I wake the others?"

There was a pause before Optimus answered. _"No,"_ The rhino was surprised at this answer. He was about to protest when Primal spoke again. _"Rhinox, I want you to come out and show me where they are."_

"Uh, of course." Just what was Optimus thinking?

-x-

Just before they hit the water, Terrorsaur let go of her and they separated when they splashed in. Starfeather had shut her optics tight and held her breath but remembered she didn't really need to. Air pumps were more accurate than lungs. She was slowly sinking so opened her optics to turn herself up-right and head for the surface but she stopped to take in her surroundings.

Soft bubbles fought their way up through gently flickering shafts of moon light. She had forgotten how beautiful the water world could be. The sharp rocks and boulders all around created interesting and beautiful images in the dim light.

Suddenly, she felt Terrorsaur take her hands. She looked to see him grinning at her like he had won an Uno game against her. She would have laughed but the water prevented her. Her optics shone with all the emotion she was feeling.

He ran his hands up her arms causing her to shudder, dimming her optics. His smile brightened as he continued up her neck and to her face. Her optics dimmed further as he pulled her face closer to his. He captured her lips and she snaked her arms around his neck. She was unaware that he was raising them upward to the gently rippling surface.

If she had been keeping count, this would've been their third kiss. However, to them, it felt like they had been doing this forever. They never wanted to stop.

They broke through, still holding the other close. They remained in the water, only floating in place, just enjoying each other. They were blissfully unaware of two figures looking down on them...

"I guess that was fun," Starfeather said when they finally pulled apart.

"I told you so," Terrorsaur replied, smirking.

"You did not," She narrowed her optics playfully. Then her gaze suddenly became serious. "The others are probably wondering why we're not there."

"So? We might not get another opportunity like this," he argued, tracing his finger from her lips and along the line of her cheek. She closed her optics and let out a contented sigh. "Now, let's enjoy the rest of the night."

That was what she wanted too. Forget the other Predacons. Forget Megatron. She had all she wanted, right here, right now. "You just read my mind," She smiled but it soon turned into a sly one. "But first..." She splashed a handful of water at him, giggling.

"Hey!" he laughed and splashed her back. She laughed and dove beneath the surface. "No fair!" he called.

She silently bobbed up behind him and shoved him down. He whirled around in the water and flipped her onto her back and tried to swim away. She reached out and grabbed his foot pulling him back while righting herself and swam ahead. He growled and locked his arms around her waist as she passed so that he was being pulled along.

She twisted over so that they were on their backs and shot for the surface, doing the back-stroke towards the shore. She planned on grounding him in the sand. That would be funny. He saw what she was doing so let go and followed her to land. She rolled her optics in defeat.

They dragged themselves onto the bank and just lay there, laughing at themselves. They soon ceased and just looked up at the night sky, the stars and moons shinning down on them.

-x-

"So that's the real reason why she's so stubborn to stay," Rhinox mused. He and Optimus were in their beast modes, standing on the edge of the cliff just outside their base and looking down on the two flyers.

They looked so lost in each other, it made one feel all warm inside just looking at them for less than a few seconds. After a while, it either got awkward or disgusting.

"I suspected something like that was going," Optimus said and paused as he watched them like a father would his courting daughter. "I must admit it is odd to see Terrorsaur acting so tenderly for a change."

"Yes... but I feel like we're intruding."

Optimus chuckled. "Yes, let's go back inside. I don't think they'll be any trouble."

As they went back inside, Rhinox questioned if Optimus would allow her to stay in her current situation. After all, she shouldn't technically even be friends with the pterodactyl.

"I don't know, Rhinox... I don't know," the Maximal leader replied. "But I will talk with her about it."

-x-

Starfeather sighed happily and snuggled closer against Terrorsaur. She closed her optics and smiled when he rubbed her back. Being in his arms felt so much more right than her last boyfriend. A feat she used to think not possible.

When she had been with him, she thought that her world had been complete, that nothing could go wrong, that their relationship would bloom into a tall and sturdy tree. Sadly, he had to move to go on to collage. They had stayed in contact but his e-mails, letters, and phone calls gradually came to a stop over the year to follow.

When summer began the next year, that's when he called for the last time. They talked about school and other stuff before he finally said the reason he had called; to officially break up. She hadn't been surprised and she had agreed, also realizing that whatever they had had before was gone. It was time to let go and move on.

Something told her that this just might be the one that would last.

With out quite realizing what he was doing, Terrorsaur began to gently stroke her delicately folded wings. Starfeather tensed at the touch on her sensitive spot... but she didn't mind. When she made a noise, he withdrew his hand. He then began to apologize for doing such a thing so soon. He knew better because he was a flier himself and knew that fliers prided and respected each others wings.

She placed a finger over his lips. "Do it again," she pleaded.

He smiled with relief and longingly went back to smoothing his black fingers over her equally dark, soft feathers. She sighed with contentment and closed her optics again, savoring the sensation.

As the night wore on, Starfeather was beginning to fall asleep. She fought to stay awake, not wanting this night to end. She eventually lost the fight against her own body and was breathing deep and steadily. Terrorsaur saw that she had fallen into recharge. He was feeling quite tired himself so he took her up in his arms and went skyward, careful not to wake her.

She sighed deeply in her sleep.

He took them back to the Predacon base. When he went inside, he made sure no one was around. He knew that he and Starfeather would have to try to keep their relationship under cover for Megatron still wanted her.

Everyone seemed to be asleep so Terrorsaur continued quietly to her quarters. Fortunately, she had left her door unlocked so it opened when he came near. He carried her over to her bed and gently laid her down.

She groaned and shifted to her side, facing him, and sighed again. He bent over and softly kissed her cheek, whispering, "Rest well, my little bird." He then left her room.

Before Terrorsaur entered his room, he remembered something. They had been out for hours and hadn't undergone the slightest a system overload from energon around. He wondered why.


	21. The Spark: Birds of a Feather

**#21 - The Spark: Birds of a Feather**

"Megatron, sir," Tarantulas began as he came to Megatron, alone in the main control room. "I have witnessed something that may jeopardize the mission if put into further affect."

Megatron turned to regard the spider, knowing exactly which mission that was being referred to and also knowing what he might have witnessed. "Go on."

"I have reason to believe that Starfeather and Terrorsaur are having an affair behind our backs," Tarantulas said.

_I suspected as much,_ the Predacon leader thought with a frown. _But how could it have gone so far without my noticing? Blast that pterodactyl... _"Inform Blackarachnia to keep an eye on them, you as well."

Tarantulas was slightly taken aback. "Are you suggesting we do nothing?" he hissed.

"I'm suggesting _you_ do nothing," Megatron replied sternly. "I will decide when the appropriate time to act will be, yes."

-x-

Starfeather was happier than she had been for _months_. She was doing all the aerial twirls she knew as she made her way to her refuge. No, _their_ refuge. That's what she had started to call it for the past few days.

She transformed to robot mode, did a front flip, and landed neatly before the rock pile. "And the crowd goes wild!" she cheered and punched the air triumphantly.

"You seem cheerful today," she heard a voice say from above her somewhere above her. She looked up to see Optimus Primal sitting at the top of the rock mound. "Any particular reason?"

She blushed out of embarrassment and shuffled her feet. "Can't I be happy when I feel like it?" she asked.

"No," he replied through a smile, indicating he was only joking. She laughed but stopped when he went on more seriously. "I actually came here to talk to you about something."

She put on a questioning look. "About what? Megatron isn't planning anything."

"That's not what I came here to discus with you about."

Starfeather crossed her arms. "Now it's 'discus'? Am I in trouble?"

He shook his head. "Technically, you haven't done anything wrong but it has come to my attention that you are involved in something that you shouldn't be," he said.

She stared at him. "What are you talking abou... wait, what? How do you-"

"You two weren't exactly careful about where you flew off to a few nights ago," he explained before she could finish.

She blushed again, only brighter, and made an exasperated noise. "What's wrong with us being together? He feels the same as I do! Why does _everybody_ gotta stick their big fat nose in _my_ personal business? You're worse than my parents!" she boiled out, waving her arms in frustration. She didn't mean half of what she was saying, Optimus knew, she was just embarrassed and scared of what he might do to her about it.

He came down to stand before her as her shoulders began to shake with silent sobs. He took her shoulders reassuringly and she looked up at him with fearful and moist optics. "Like I said; you're not in trouble, Starfeather. I just came to let you know that you need to think about what you're doing and where your loyalties are."

Starfeather sniffed and rubbed at her optics with her fists. "I don't know if I can choose, Optimus. What- what you saw that night was our very fist time out together, just the two of us." She smiled softly at the memories of that unforgettable evening but it vanished from her face. "I don't know how long I go on like this, sir."

"I know you'll make the right choice in the end," he said gently.

She smiled sadly and gave him a "thank you" hug. "You remind me so much of my dad."

-x-

A few days after an attack of a Dinobot clone to the Maximals, things have been winding down. That is, until the Predacon fliers got a call from Megatron that they were needed at a stasis pod crash sight.

They split up, Waspinator being the first to be attacked by Cheetor, who was sent by the Maximals to retrieve the pod. This gave away the cheetah's position, allowing for Terrorsaur to move in. Starfeather saw they were attacking and started going in from behind.

When Cheetor went beast mode and started running for it, she was able to get a clearer shot but the cat kept moving. This chase continued for several meters before Terrorsaur came up with a better strategy. Waspinator kept on Cheetor's tail while Terrorsaur and Starfeather separated and went on stealthily ahead.

A smart move from the cheetah got Waspinator down for the count but a blast from both the blasters of the other two fliers knocked him out as well. They landed and Terrorsaur looked at Starfeather.

"Get Waspinator up and take care of the kitty cat. I'll get the stasis pod." he said.

Starfeather smiled innocently. "Yes sweetheart," she answered, suppressing a giggle. He playfully shoved her then took off. She watched him for a moment before turning to the downed wasp. "Hey Waspy, can you hear me?" she asked, lightly shaking him by the shoulder.

"Wa-wazzzpinator hearzz B-bird-bot," he replied.

"Okay," She nodded. "That's good. Now can you transform to beast mode?"

In answer to her question, he did so. "Wazpinator feelzz better now."

"Alright," She smiled. "Now just keep those compound eyes on that cat and I'll be right back." She patted him on the head as she said this and got up to go see if Terrorsaur needed back up.

When she got closer to where the stasis pod had crashed, she heard something like a bird cry. When she looked up to see where it came from, she saw a falcon circling up and back toward where the pod was. "That must be the new guy," she muttered to herself as she slid down a slope behind one of the many rock cylinder formations in the area. She looked up again when she heard the bird cry again and gasped. She saw the falcon had Terrorsaur by the shoulders and was flying him into a rock face. She growled. "And a Maximal."

As Terrorsaur chased after the falcon, eager for revenge, Starfeather went air born to follow and help when help was needed. They weren't even aware of her presence.

Then, the falcon dove out of sight. Terrorsaur glanced around for it but looked up when it came back into the open and spoke.

"Airazor: Maximize!" The voice was feminine. As she transformed, she gave another primal cry from the bird of her beast mode and came straight at the pteranodon. He smirked and went head on toward her. Shots were exchanged before they met.

Starfeather watched anxiously as Terrorsaur fought one on one with the new Maximal, plummeting to the earth in a freefall. Before they got too close to the ground, they split apart and Terrorsaur began shooting at the Maximal. She dodged, swooping and swerving gracefully. The raven almost found herself jealous but that melted away when the falcon shot at him.

She stared, frozen in pure, boiling anger as the femme blasted him nearly to pieces. "No!" she shrieked and soared forward.

Airazor just had time to look up before she was tackled to the ground. The two femmes struggled, landing a blow or two, until Starfeather was kicked off. Airazor had had enough so left the raven alone to go back and help Rhinox.

Starfeather snarled after her but didn't chase her down. She only went and kneeled at Terrorsaur's side. She shook off her feeling of deja vu as she asked, "Can... can you hear me?" _Please please please be okay,_ she thought as she reached out and touched his cheek.

He groaned painfully. "I hear ya," he rasped.

She let a sigh of relief escape her mouth. "Waspinator," she said into her comm. link. "Leave Cheetor and get over here. Terrorsaur needs assistance, big time."

_"Wazzpinator coming. Wazzpinator: out."_ was the reply and the link was terminated.

Starfeather nodded and turned back to her downed comrade, thinking of anything she could do to help. "Okay, I'm gonna try and put you back together as much as I can," she informed him.

"A'right," he agreed.

She nodded again and set to work. Waspinator arrived shortly and, with his help, they pieced Terrorsaur back together as best they could. At least, enough so that he could stand on his own and transform.

The two mobile fliers were sent out again to collect Blackarachnia and Scorponok, who also had been dispatched to claim the stasis pod. This didn't take long but Starfeather wanted to be with Terrorsaur like he had been with her when she had fallen ill to that poison.

-x-

Starfeather was alone in the secret clearing, lying in a grassy patch. Terrorsaur was still in a C.R. tank when they got back with the Second in Command and black widow so the raven decided she wanted to be alone for a while.

She sat up at the sound of a familiar call and clenched her fist. That falcon...

Soon enough, there she was in the distance, her image getting bigger and bigger as she came closer. In less than a minute, she transformed to robot mode and landed a few feet from where Starfeather was now standing.

"Hello," she greeted, sounding rather cheerful.

"Hello," Starfeather replied stiffly. "Airazor, right?"

The other seemed a bit confused at her tartness. "Yes, and you are Starfeather?"

"Yes."

There was a long silence between them. The only thing that made noise was the little stream as it gurgled softly and a bird or two in the depths of the forest. During the silence, they studied each other and sized the other up. Starfeather tried to appear tough and intimidating while Airazor also presented herself as a femme to be reckoned with.

Finally, Starfeather broke the silence, deciding to take the 'pleasantly unpleasant' rout. "So, _Airazor_, how are you today since our little scuffle?" she asked with a cool voice and crossing her arms.

"Just fine. Thank you for your concern," Airazor answered, not understanding why the raven was being so testy. "How have you been?"

She nodded curtly, glaring at the other femme. "A lot better than my friend that you scrapped half to slag, thank you very much," she managed without making an angry noise.

"I was only protecting myself and Rhinox," the falcon replied.

"Yeah well, you didn't have to blow him up," Starfeather's voice was rising. "You could have just knocked him out or something less drastic!"

Airazor was about to defend herself when she realized something. Wouldn't she respond the same way if their situations were opposite, even if it was all for show? "Believe me, if I had known at the time, I wouldn't have been as brutal. I'm sorry," she apologized.

Starfeather paused, taking this in. Airazor didn't need to apologize; Terrorsaur was the enemy and she had just emerged from the stasis pod. She wouldn't have known any better. She felt guilty for lashing out like that. "No... I'm sorry. Really, it's no big deal. He'll make a full recovery so... Let's start this over."

"Alright," the falcon agreed. "Hi Starfeather, I'm Airazor." That said, she held out her hand for the other to shake.

Starfeather smiled, taking the other's hand. "Nice to meet you," They shook hands and started with a better conversation and the subject changed from this to that. By the time they both had to leave, they considered each other friends and planned to meet together again soon.


	22. This Means War

**#22 - This Means War **

_Date N/A_

_Dear Diary,_

_Today,_ _Terrorsaur, Waspinator, and Tigatron discovered a powerful, floating, tropical island in the middle of the northern pole of this planet. It was made by the aliens to find and test intelligent species. Nobody seems to know why. Blackarachnia tried to use the island's power to take over. Pfft, what a glitch. Anyway, Tigatron and I had to destroy the island. Good thing Terrorsaur was out and outside... The aliens that made the island know about its destruction and probably aren't too impressed with us._

_I know, I need to do something about Terrorsaur... and Waspy. I need to at least tell them about my real allegiance. They would understand... I think... maybe..._

Starfeather sighed as she snapped the lid back on her pen and roughly set it on her desk next to her open diary. She read through the last paragraph she had written over and over again. She then whacked her forehead against the open page with a grunt of anger and slammed her fist beside the small book.

"Who am I kidding?" she muttered, gritting her teeth. They would never understand. She could never tell them.

-x-

That wasn't what was truly bothering her right now. It was the fact that Terrorsaur was in pain. He was mostly repaired but still sore.

"Maybe Megatron will give you an off day tomorrow," Starfeather was saying as she snapped the covering panel back into place on Terrorsaur's arm. She had been helping to reconnect some servos and wires until he got most of the feeling and movement back in his limbs.

"I doubt it," Terrorsaur grumbled.

She smiled sympathetically. Then an idea came to her mind. It was late and she was getting tired and neither of them had any night duties, so... "Would you feel better if I stayed with you for a while?" she asked.

He looked up at her. "I'd like that," he replied after a moment.

With that, the two went to his quarters. They made sure no one was watching before they entered. "Ladies first," he invited, motioning for her to go before him.

She smiled and sat down on the bunk and he followed. Starfeather then pulled him into a kiss. He responded by easing an arm around her waist, pulling her closer. After a while, she pulled away first, smiling smugly. "Feel better?" she asked

"Much," he answered.

"Good. Now, how about you get some rest? I won't go anywhere," she whispered.

"But I don't wanna go to sleep," he protested and made a pouting face.

"Don't make me beg, mister," she threatened playfully.

"Oh yes, I insist," he growled and started tickling her. She laughed and pleaded for him to stop. "Say it." he taunted.

"Please! _Please_!" she managed between giggling fits.

"That's not it," he chuckled, but he stopped anyway.

"Thank you," she panted.

"I'm still gonna make you beg," he teased, grinning and narrowing an optic.

She narrowed her own optics. "How?" she ventured to ask.

"Like this," he replied and captured her lips once again, wrapping both arms around her and squeezing. Her optics widened a little but then dimmed as she relaxed into his grip. She could learn to love it when he did that. She eased her own hands up to his face and caressed him.

This continued for several minutes before Starfeather began to drop off. Terrorsaur smirked and rubbed up and down her back, helping her to fall asleep. "I hate your torture," she murmured a few minutes before she finally went into recharge.

He chuckled softly. "I know you do," he whispered before he pulled her closer and followed her example.

-x-

Starfeather gradually became aware of someone slowly and rhythmically rubbing her back. For a second, she thought it was Megatron and snapped opened her optics, expecting to see his sly, lustful expression.

What she saw made her close her optics again and snuggle deeper into the embrace and sigh contentedly. She heard her bed partner give a low chuckle and pull her closer. She shifted so that she could rub her face against his. _I must've fallen asleep in his room last night... _"Good morning," she mumbled.

"It is now that you're awake," Terrorsaur replied with a smirk and moved to kiss her.

Playfully but tiredly, the raven smacked him up side the head. "Stop it," she groaned, smiling. "You know I'm not a morning person."

He then put on devilish grin. "Then let me help you out of bed." Before she could retort, he snatched her up and gently flung her upper body over his shoulder and stood up.

"Hey!" she laughed, half-heartedly pounding on his back. "Put me down you oversized turkey!"

Terrorsaur chuckled. "Flattery will get you nowhere, ink feathers." With that, he proceeded into the hallway and to the cafeteria/lounge room.

Starfeather giggled and rolled her optics with a sigh. She twisted as much as she could to glare at the back of his head. "You do realize this mean war, right?"

"Then let the fun begin."


	23. Possession Part 1: A Fallen Star

**#23 - Possession **

**Part 1: A Fallen Star**

**AN:** When you read through the parts, Starscream's voice is his from the Unicron Trilogy (and for the life of me, I can't remember the voice actor's name).

He had been drifting through space and time ever since his mainframe had been destroyed by Galvatron all those vorns ago. Oh how he loathed his ex-commander to no end. Perhaps that had been what kept his spark intact when they had unleashed their power at one another. He swore that if he ever found a way to come back into reality, he would make sure that there was nothing left of the Decepticon leader...

But for now, there was nothing he could do. He didn't even have a slagging _body_ for Primus' sake. Oh how he hated the endless days and nights. How he wished that his spark would either find its way to a final resting place or take a body so that he could continue with his plans of conduct.

-x-

After everyone in the Predacon base had had their daily energon rations, Starfeather had gone to start her morning duties, starting with maintenance duty with Blackarachnia. Yay. They started out quiet, unpleasantly pleasantly regarding the other, not saying a word. It was odd how they could understand each other so well without even speaking.

They were working on one of the C.R. tanks that had begun to act up a little (as Waspinator discovered) when Blackarachnia decided to pipe up. "So, you and Terrorsaur are 'involved'?"

"What- OW!" Starfeather hit her head inside the C.R. tank's wall, rearranging some wire connections, when the she-spider had spoken. She had jerked up and hit her head against the inside of the opening. The raven shook her head, putting her hand over the shallow throbbing dent and stared at the she spider. "Where did _that_ come from?" she demanded.

"Isn't it obvious? The way you two _stare_ at each other all day, I'm surprised Megatron doesn't know," the widow snapped, deciding to give the other false security. "Have you interfaced yet?" she wondered.

Starfeather's face was heating up in embarrassment. Were they really that obvious? What did interface mean? If it meant something intimate, not really. " No, and you care why?" she growled.

"I don't."

"Then why are you even asking?"

"Who wants to know?"

Starfeather narrowed her optics to intense aqua green slits. "_I _do, you eight legged **freak**." she hissed.

Blackarachnia also narrowed her optics. "You'll pay for that, **buzzard**."

She gritted her teeth and threw the wire cutters she had been using at the spider femme which hit her square in the face. She smacked her clawed hand to where the cutters had impacted and hissed with pain, sputtering a few choice curses. A hand-to-hand fight followed soon after.

-x-

Megatron sighed and held his forehead in place with his index finger and thumb, his magenta optics closed as if he was suffering from a head ache. "I don't care _who_ started it," he said, keeping his tone as level as he could. "I don't want this to happen _again_. Is. That. Clear?"

The two femmes nodded stiffly, shooting hateful glares at the other every so often. Terrorsaur and Tarantulas both had to pull the femmes apart and that was a feat all in its self. The two had been going at each other like two wolves fighting for dominance.

"Good," the Predacon leader growled. "Now get out of my sight."

The two quickly left, going in opposite directions, and went off to nurse their dents, scrapes, and cuts.

Starfeather was ashamed of herself. She had never gone into a physical fight with Blackarachnia before. Usually, their fights were intense spatting sessions with an exchange of blood thirsty glares. And she hadn't intended to actually hit the she-spider with the wire cutters. She had been so upset that she just... lost it.

Not to mention Terrorsaur hadn't been too happy either. Maybe it was because he didn't like seeing her so riled up. She wasn't sure why. When she was on the battle field, all he did was make sure he was in her vicinity incase she needed backup. Maybe it was just because he didn't to see her hurt. This thought put a smile on her face but it soon vanished.

She hissed with discomfort when her fingers brushed the oozing energon away from a shallow but long slice across her cheek. She had several more cuts on her chest and shoulders. Her mouth had stopped bleeding during Megatron's lecture about these fights of theirs and the corner of her left optic was cracked and crusty and gooey with dry and still drying optical fluid.

The raven groaned, allowing her arms to hang limp at her sides. A good cycle in the fixed C.R. tank sounded delicious right now.

-x-

He came across something new today, not that it really had been a day. It could have been thousands of years for all he knew. He had lost all track of time for as long as he could remember. Anyway, he happened upon a planet, a very familiar planet though isn't exactly as he remembered. His spark drifted in toward the planet's surface and soon he was floating over a crashed ship above a water fall. It appearing to be similar to Autobot design and was heavily damaged on the southeast sector. Probably because of the storm that was ragging overhead. This could be useful knowledge.

Wait... Autobots? Here? That would mean there may be Decepticons around somewhere near by...

-x-

There was an unusually powerful electrical storm a couple days after the incident. Lightening repeatedly struck the base, causing electrical fires and isolated power outages throughout the base. The whole crew, including Megatron himself, was rushing about trying to hold their base together.

Currently, only Megatron and Waspinator were in the main control room. The Predacon leader was watching as the wasp was trying to get a full ship systems check when a stray bolt of lightening struck the ship at just the right place so that poor Waspy got zapped. He was blown backwards and skidded across the floor.

"Quickly! Damage report!" Megatron barked.

"Moderate," Waspinator said as he sat up and shook his head to clear the static. "Wazpinator in pain but zztill functional."

"Not you, imbecile. The computer!"

_"Megatron!"_ came Scorponok's voice, high with panic. _"Electrical fire on the lower deck!"_

"Acknowledged, on my way," Megatron replied and ended the transmission then turned on Waspinator. "Finish that diagnostic and report to me." He then left for the lower deck to over see putting out the fire.

Waspinator got back up and in front of the monitor. He lightly tapped the screen with a finger to make sure it wouldn't shock him again. When it didn't seem to carry an electrical charge at the moment, he relaxed and attempted to complete the systems check.

But the screen was frozen.

-x-

His spark had come across another ship. Now this one looked Decepticon in design and even more damaged than the Autobot looking ship. Now how to get inside...

Suddenly, a bolt of lightening struck just centimeters from him but that was enough to draw his spark into the bolt and to where it had struck: the hull of the ship. He was transported directly into the computer system. From here, he could learn everything he needed to know about this place and these Transformers...

-x-

Terrorsaur and Starfeather were on their way to aid with putting out the latest fire. They had just finished cleaning up what they could from the last one and were a bit grimy themselves.

Starfeather jumped when another crash of thunder sounded. Terrorsaur gave her a strange look as she had been doing that all morning. She smiled innocently. "Why are you so afraid of thunder?" he asked. "It's just an explosion. You hear those all the time."

She rolled her optics. "Thunder's different," she retorted. "And besides, I've never liked thunder since I was three. Lightening struck a mailbox across from our house one night and I've been scared ever since."

Then, getting an idea, Terrorsaur smirked and bent over to shove his face in hers, backing her into the nearest wall which was already right behind her. "Hmm, sounds like you need some counseling, my little bird."

She giggled, half heartedly pushing him away. "Oh stop it, I'm fine." But she flinched again when thunder cracked from a few miles away. Immediately, the red mech seized her in his arms and smoothed the feathers on her helm in a calming motion.

"It's alright, Starfeather," he crooned, cuddling her to his chest. "I won't let the thunder get you."

She laughed as she fought to get out of his grip so they could continue with what they were supposed to be doing. He chuckled as he tightened his arms around her and shifted her head to face him. They were just about to share a quick moment when-

_"Starfeather!"_ came Megatron's ticked voice over her COM link. _"Where the Pit are you?"_

"Fraggit," Terrorsaur growled under his breath as he let her go.

Starfeather sighed, regaining her composure, and replied, "Terrorsaur and I are just about there, sir."

There was a brief pause before a response came. _"Then go see what's taking Waspinator so long. He should be in the command center."_

"Yes sir. Starfeather: out." She sighed again and gave Terrorsaur a warning glance. "Hands off, okay?" she requested and continued down the hallway, Terrorsaur right beside her.

"Tonight at my quarters?" he asked.

She shot him an impish look. "No, I still have to get back at you for you did the other morning, remember?"

-x-

Waspinator tried several methods to get it to work, even tried to reboot the piece of junk, but nothing worked. He growled with frustration and a hint of desperation, slamming a fist down on the consol.

"What izz thiz? Program will not rezzpond!" he fumed. "Wazzpinator doez not underztand!"

Then something happened that he _really_ didn't understand.

The screen was engulfed in a shimmering, sparkling light and a rasping voice spoke to him as malicious, almost smirking, purple eyes glared back at the wasp. "I'll bet Waspinator seldom does," the voice spoke. Waspinator's mouth hung agar in petrified shock. "But try not to let it depress you, bug face. I will take care everything."

Then the light sprang from the screen and consumed his body. He staggered back a bit but straightened up. He then examined his hands as if seeing them for the first time. "Not exactly my taste but it'll have to do for now," he said in a voice not his own. It was the voice that had spoken to the wasp from the computer screen. _At last! I have found a body!_

"Hey Waspy, you alright?" came a female voice. "You were glowing for a second there."

He turned to see a raven femme and a red mech coming toward him. He knew who they were as he had looked into their files on the _Darkside's_ data core. He smirked.

"Nothing is wrong at all, _ex-human_," he said with devilishly narrowed optics.

Terrorsaur's optics widened and Starfeather stared at him, her mouth falling open. She made an offended noise. "I beg your pardon?"

"Waspinator?" Terrorsaur questioned, stepping forward. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm sorry but Waspinator cannot respond right now," he replied in feigned disappointment. "He's currently in comatose. You'll have to put up with me for now."

Starfeather shoved past Terrorsaur and grabbed the wasp by the throat, jerking him down to her optic level. She was mad. "What have you done to Waspinator, you glitch?" she demanded, shaking him. "Bring him back, now!"

"You better watch your vocalizer, girl," the wasp growled at her, narrowing his optics further.

"Enough!" Terrorsaur shouted and pried the two apart, shielding the raven with himself from their strangely behaving wing mate. "Let's figure out what's going on here before someone gets seriously hurt."

"Then allow me to present myself," the wasp announced, straightening in an authoratetive military stance that demanded a salute from lower ranking individuals. "I am Starscream, Second in Command of the Decepticon armada."

After Starscream made that statement, the other two just stared at him like he was an idiot. After a while, Terrorsaur's face morphed into one of surprised shock and he immediately contacted Megatron and a meeting was called.

Of course, everyone had their skepticism as Megatron interrogated the wasp. Starfeather, on the other hand, was utterly clueless. She had, however, heard of this Starscream once or twice before from her comrades. But Waspy suddenly changing his voice and acting like an arrogant jerk after he'd been glowing? Something sensible had to have happened here, but what?

It was soon proven that Waspinator was indeed Starscream, or at least taken over by Starscream. These claims were further proven by the only witnesses: Terrorsaur and Starfeather.

Terrorsaur had seen the light come from the screen while Starfeather had only seen the after effect.

Blackarachnia wasn't convinced. "But you're ancient history," she argued, pointing at a page on the monitor about him in his past life.

"Ancient; yes." Starscream agreed then nodded toward the screen. "As for history; I'd like to think not."

"What's he talking about?" Scorponok asked. None of this was sinking in for him. Starfeather had the same thoughts.

"The Decepticons are _most_ of our ancestors," the widow stated, giving the raven a quick glare. "For centuries they warred with the Autobots."

"Ancestors of the Maximals," Megatron added.

"Those wars were ultimately lost, alas," Starscream said wistfully.

"And you were destroyed," Blackarachnia reasoned. "It's written here in the Chronicles of Cybertron." She pointed back at the screen to emphasize her point.

"Ah, so it was _believed_," the wasp corrected. "I... sacrificed myself defending my leader, Galvatron, from a powerful black hole of unknown origins. My mainframe was destroyed but miraculously, my spark survived, drifting helplessly through space beyond the reach of time itself. After finally arriving on this planet and discovering my kind here, I have temporarily taken residence in this body until a more appropriate one is provided."

Before Megatron could respond, Starfeather butted in. "And who says you're gonna stay in my friend's body until then?" she pointed out, thrusting an accusing finger at his chest. "If you said you could survive outside a body this long, you can do so until a dead stasis pod falls. Now give Waspinator back!"

"Starfeather, stand down," Megatron commanded. "I'm sure Waspinator would be honored to be housing this great Decepticon warrior."

"No, I know what he'd say," she retorted then did an uncanny voice impression. "Wazzpinator no want Zcreamer-bot'zz zpark to take Wazzpinator'z body! Wazzpinator want body way it izz!"

This earned an unimpressed look from Megatron, Blackarachnia, and Starscream, a blank stare from Scorponok, and a slight snicker disguised as a cough from Terrorsaur. Starfeather grinned to herself. She'd always wanted to do that.

"I think that's enough now, my dear," Megatron said.

Starscream saw the raven bare her teeth at the Predacon leader and heard the muffled snarl that Terrorsaur made from his throat. _Hmm, I wonder..._ the wasp thought but Megatron's voice cut in. "I will make arraignments for a new body to be provided, Starscream. In the mean time, you will pull your fair share of weight around here, yes."

Starscream inwardly grimaced. This was going to be just like old times. "As you command, _mighty Megatron_." He bowed and fixed his gaze on his new commander.

The meeting was adjourned but Megatron wasn't done with Starscream yet. He called him back as he was leaving with the others. The wasp came back, somewhat annoyed. "Yes sir?"

"I know now how you came to us," he began. "But do tell me, why should I trust you?"

Thinking quickly, Starscream remembered his vital knowledge of the damaged Maximal ship. Megatron was interested in this information and, with some exact location from the ex-Seeker on a holographic map, they concocted a plan to take the Maximal base.

-x-

Starfeather peeked into the lounge to see if Terrorsaur was there. He was and he looked deep in thought. She hated to disturb him but she had to let someone know she was going out on her own for a while. If she told anyone else, they would question her and she didn't want anyone to get suspicious.

She stepped inside and stood before her wing mate who was leaning on the arm of one of the couches. She opened her mouth to speak but he looked to her first. "Does this whole thing boggle your mind as much as it does me?" he asked abruptly.

She wasn't expecting a question like this but she did have an answer. "Are you kidding? This weirds me out more than when I became one of you guys."

"Oh yeah... I keep forgetting you used to be a human." He then pulled her down to gracefully fall into his lap. She tried to stay standing but he was persistent and stronger than her. She rolled her optics and waited. When all he did was massage her shoulders, she lightly elbowed him in the gut.

"I didn't come here to snuggle."

He grunted, even though her hit hadn't hurt or even affected him. "Then what did you come here to do?" he wondered.

Starfeather tried to slide off his lap and just sit next him but that didn't work. He seemed comfortable right where she was. She suppressed a groan. She wondered if he was going to be annoying like this all the time. "I was just dropping by to let you know that I was going out for a while. I need to fly today off and think."

Terrorsaur smirked and changed to petting her folded wings. "Funny... I was getting the same idea."

"Oh no you don't," she protested. "I'm sorry but I just want some 'me time', okay? I haven't been able to get much of that lately."

He looked wistful. "But don't you want 'us time'?"

"You," she replied, tapping the bridge of his nose with her index finger for the first few words of her response. "My flirtatious friend, are the very reason why I haven't been getting any 'me time'."

He chuckled a little nervously, brushing her hand away. "Hehe, what can I say?"

"You can say that you'll let me go so I can go out on my own and shoot something up," she said, fluttering her optic shutters.

How could he resist those optics of hers? "Fine," he grumbled and reluctantly released his arms from around her. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek before she got up. She made it to the door before Terrorsaur asked her to wait for a nano. She stopped and looked back at him. "Since when where you a ventriloquist?"

She giggled. "You'll find I'm full of surprises," she answered with a wink.

-x-

"An interesting turn of events indeed, Megatron," Tarantulas cackled at hearing about their newest crew member. "I have an update for you as well."

When all he got for a response was a lifted optic ridge, the spider continued. "There are not enough components to create a second portal projector so we will be unable to recruit more humans. I told you that we should have kept this plan to ourselves!" he hissed.

"I informed Dinobot because he was going to be the one to keep them all in line once they were turned into drones," Megatron stated rather calmly, lightly tapping his fingertips together. "However, this plan is invalid to us now for I believe there is more to this planet than meets the eye, yes." His lips curled into a malicious smirk. "I am no longer in need of your special services Tarantulas, you are dismissed."

Tarantulas moved to protest but thought better of it. He transformed to his tarantula beast form and scurried out of the empty main control room. "Very well then, I'll just have to settle for the one I have," he muttered to himself.

-x-

"Black bird to blue bird," Starfeather called over her communicator to her fellow bird. "I've got a real scoop that the big banna is going to want to hear."

_"On my way, black bird,"_ Airazor replied and the link ended.

The raven sighed as she leaned back against the trunk of the tree growing out of the boulder mound at her clearing. Rattrap had recently given her a device that she used to contact them instead of her average comm. and risk being detected. Rhinox had made it especially for that purpose. It looked like a walkie-talkie with a tiny rotating satellite dish instead of an antenna and a screen for visual messages.

She carefully placed the device back into her subspace and settled back. She knew it would be a little while before Airazor would get there so she figured now was a good time to get some writing in. She pulled out her diary and opened it to the next blank page, clicked the button on her pen, and wrote:

_Date N/A_

_Dear Diary,_

_Just when I thought things couldn't get any weirder, something else slips in. Apparently, an old Decepticon warrior called Starscream has come back from the dead and taken over Waspinator. I hope there's a way to get him back the way he was if being possessed changed him. Terrorsaur thinks this is weird too. I'll tell you one thing, I don't like or trust this Starscream one bit. I hope he won't be out for me too... Maybe I'm just paranoid. Thanks a lot, Megatron._

Starfeather looked up from her writing to see her friend coming in the distance. She closed her book and placed it back in her subspace. Airazor soon alighted in the grass at the base of the mound. Starfeather transformed to her beast mode and fluttered down to meet her.

"What's going on?" the falcon asked.

"You'll never believe this but here goes," the raven began. "Do you know of Starscream, the Decepticon?"

"Yes, somewhat. Why?"

"Did you know he has an immortal spark?"

"How is that possible?"

"I don't know but it's true. I asked that to say this... he's here."

Airazor just stared at her, the news not making any sense. After a few moments of silence, Starfeather spoke. "I warned you that you wouldn't believe it."

"How...?" Airazor tried to ask but the rest of the question died on the way out. Starfeather simply shrugged.

"I don't know how he got here but he did and he's taken over Waspinator."

Airazor was now officially confuzled. The raven then explained what had happened from all the damage that the electrical storm had caused to the meeting that had taken place less than a few hours ago. The falcon still didn't quite know what to make of all this but she also told Starfeather that the storm had damaged their base and that they were going to begin repairs in the morning.

The raven simply nodded. "I'll do what I can to keep the Predacons at bay."

"And I'll be sure to inform Optimus of... Starscream." Airazor replied.

-x-

"Starscream?" Optimus Primal repeated. "Airazor, are you sure-"

"I am positive, Optimus," Airazor interrupted, hands on her hips. "I don't think Starfeather would lie about something like that."

"Starscream..." Dinobot repeated thoughtfully as he crossed his arms and inclined his head down.

"Heh, what's next?" Rattrap broke in. "Mini-cons start tah fall from da sky?"

Dinobot snarled at him.

"Stand down, you two," Optimus ordered then looked to the raptor. "Do you have any thoughts Dinobot?"

He looked up at hearing his name and made optic contact. He held the Maximal leader's gaze and continued. "I have long studied military history... Starscream was mainly deceitful and scheming, the Decepticon throne was his goal. He was the most notorious traitor of all. Even to those who would call themselves his friends."

"Hmph, that sounds awfully familiar," Cheetor muttered from the other end of the room.

Optimus touched his chin thoughtfully. "So now he's back and supposedly pledging his loyalty to Megatron..." he murmured to himself.

-x-

Starfeather was just typing in her door pass code when she felt someone take her shoulders and gently rub them. She rolled her optics and looked out the corner of her optic over her shoulder. "Do you mind?" she asked, suppressing her grin.

"Not at all," replied the red mech, leaning forward and nuzzling at the base of her neck.

She shuddered slightly but tried not to give in too much. She was tired and didn't really feel like getting frisky. "I didn't think so," she sighed and pushed the last button on the keypad. The door hissed open and she waited for her captor to either let her go or walk them both inside. When he did neither, she cleared her throat. "Do you want to come in or not?" she asked, almost in a whisper.

"That sounds good," he murmured.

She turned her head to get a better look at him. "You just wanna make up for earlier this afternoon, don't you?"

"Yeah, pretty much," he replied, walking them inside. The door closed behind them and he slowly backed her into a wall. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"Hmm, not really." She grinned, easing her hands to his chest and sliding them on up to the sides of his head. He emitted a raspy purr as she did so. "But make it snappy, I'm tired."

"You're no fun," he chuckled and pressed her a little harder against the wall.

"No, I'm just half way to dream land. Deal with it," she teased.

Terrorsaur took his time in placing his lips upon hers. She accepted his advance and pushed back, closing her optic shutters. He wrapped his arms around her. She gave a low growl, signaling that that was the most he could do. He heard but continued tighten his grip, deepening the kiss.

They continued this for a few more moments before Starfeather drew back with a sigh. "As much as I would love to continue," she breathed. "I'm about to drop off right here and I don't want to leave you the trouble of tucking me in."

He smirked. "It'd be no trouble." He then leaned to kiss her again but her hand stopped him. She narrowed on optic at him.

"I'm sure but I don't want to wake up and find that you never made it from my bedside," she pointed out, not that she really would mind but she wanted to be alone tonight to think. "Please?" She fluttered her optic shutters.

_Why must she do that?_ he wondered. "Fine," he muttered and slowly moved back from the wall. When he hesitated to let her go, she smiled and hugged him goodnight.

"I'll see you in the morning, Screechy," she murmured and gave him a kiss on the cheek. That seemed to put his mind to ease and he soon left her alone, thoughtfully locking the door behind him. She smiled after him but it disappeared as she dropped onto her bed and hung her head. "I'm such a snake," she hissed bitterly to herself.

Optimus Primal's gentle and soothing voice then came to her mind.

_I just came to let you know that you need to think about what you're doing and where your loyalties are... I know you'll make the right choice in the end._

"No..." she sighed. "You say that 'cause you just wanna give me empty encouragement... You and I both know I don't belong with you guys... yet I do." She knew that she needed to stop lying to herself. She knew that she needed to slip through Waspinator and Terrorsaur's fingers and just run to the Maximals. She didn't care about domination and power or ruling a planet that she hadn't even heard of. She just wanted to go home and live out the rest of her normal life.

But how could she, knowing that humans were not the only ones out there? How could she go on knowing that she just left her two best friends in the dust, left to die alone on this strange yet familiar planet?

She just wanted all this to end! She would give just about anything to have inner peace and security. To just live this new life as this amazing shape-shifting robotic life form and be with Terrorsaur. She wanted to love him like her parents loved one another and possibly even become a parent herself one day.

This thought put a soft but goofy smile on her face. Starfeather shook her head at herself. It was _way_ too early to start thinking about that. A time of war and the battle field were no places for children. Besides, children seemed to be the last thing on Terrorsaur's mind. All he wanted was to kill Megatron and the Maximals and lead the Predacons... and he wanted her.

She sighed and laid down, shifting around a bit until she found a comfortable position. No matter how much she didn't want to admit it, something didn't feel quite right about the red mech's embraces at times. Sometimes, he would seem to get a little... overpowering. Not that he did anything to violate her. Starfeather just thought that he let himself get caught up in the moment. Because of Megatron, she knew how something like that felt.

She couldn't help but wonder... wonder if Terrorsaur just accepted her because he wanted someone to play with and toss the deeper meanings of the action aside. She frowned. He wouldn't do that to her. He was her friend, her wing mate. He had said so. He had more than proved it. He would never take advantage of her like that...

...would he?

-x-

Everyone was rudely awoken the next morning by a blaring alarm. It turned out that Megatron and Starscream had battle plans for everyone to hear and follow through with. All through the debriefing, Starfeather was staring at the wasp like a toddler would stare at a strange adult. He didn't seem to notice or if he did, didn't act like it.

Her optics slightly widened at hearing the plans. Megatron was going to attempt to take control of the Maximal base, and not only that, he was going to use one of the protoforms that was scheduled to fall soon as Starscream's new body. The worst part was that they were only going to delay the attack long enough to re energize. She would have no time to use her new communicator to alert the Maximals.

When Megatron said that they were given five cycles to consume their cubes of energon, the raven suddenly didn't feel power drained. She stared blankly at the floor as she followed her wing mates to the cafeteria/lounge room. Things really looked bleak for her secret comrades... Then again, it did a lot of the time. Maybe they would pull through like they always did. Just maybe...

With out realizing it, Starfeather had gotten her cube of pink energon and was sitting down at the table she and her wing mates favored. She looked and noticed that the wasp wasn't there. He was off by himself in the opposite corner. When he looked up and gave her a nasty glare, she spun back around and pretended that nothing had happened.

Terrorsaur shot Starscream an equally nasty glance and turned back to her. "If he's bothering you, just let me know."

She shook her head. "He's not. It's just..." She tried to find how to put her thoughts to words as she took a sip of her energon. "I guess it's just not the same without Waspy really here."

The red mech nodded. "Yeah, it is a lot... quieter."

Starfeather looked down and took a bigger gulp of her energon. Suddenly an idea came. Maybe if she drank fast enough, she could go to her quarters for at least a minute to send a quick message. If no one asked questions or followed her when she left, it would work perfectly.

Plan in mind, she began drinking a little faster, hoping no one would notice her haste. Terrorsaur didn't seem to and Blackarachnia and Scorponok didn't so much as glance her way. She discarded her empty cube and casually exited the room. The raven peeked over her shoulder after going a ways down the hall to see if anyone was following.

No one. "Good," she sighed and continued to her room. She shut the door and fished out the communicator from her subspace. "Black bird to bush nest, come in."

Static answered and then, _"Bush nest here. What's yer status?"_

_Oh great, not Rattrap,_ Starfeather thought, pulling a face. "I don't have time to talk so listen good. Be on alert. Predators approaching your weakest point. Look the other way. Black bird: out."

-x-

The rat was left in a cloud of confusion as the link was severed. "Look da other way?" he repeated. "What in da name of gouda does dat mean?"


	24. Possession Part 2: Secrets in Danger

**#24 - Possession **

**Part 2: Secrets in Danger**

The Maximals were gathered outside their base, beginning reconstruction on the damages caused by the electrical storm the day before, their senses on high alert. There was a gapping hole in the southeast wall of the _Axalon_. That certainly was their weakest point they assumed. When Rattrap had informed Optimus Primal of their spy's message, he too had been baffled but he wouldn't risk calling her back to ask what she meant. She must be on her way with the other Predacons right now.

Rhinox was currently mulling possible meanings around in his mind as he tinkered with circuitry and wires but he couldn't be sure of anything. They would just have to wait and keep on their guard while they worked.

An hour went by and still no signs of trouble. Cheetor was beginning to think that Starfeather might have lost it. "I'm telling you, being with the Preds this long might be driving her insane," he was saying. "They're torturing her!"

"Cheetor," Optimus sighed, handing Rhinox a screwdriver. "There isn't any reason that I can see that they would torture her. She tells me they don't appear to suspect her at all."

"But that ain't the important thing," Rattrap butted in. "The Preds are probably hiddin' out around the rocks right now, just waitin' until we turn our backs and then-"

The rat was cut off by a familiar chorus from everyone. "Shut up, Rattrap."

The Maximals continued to work in a tense silence but they knew that Rattrap's statement could very well be true... and it was.

The ship trembled as one of Scorponok's missiles stuck the opposite side of the base that the Maximals were on.

"What is this?" Cheetor exclaimed.

Rattrap stood up. "They're attackin' the other side!"

"_Look the other way_," Optimus repeated Starfeather's warning. "Of course!"

Then suddenly, from the new hole made by the missile, Waspinator zoomed into the power generator room below, holding Blackarachnia. Both had guns drawn.

"Hello boys," the wasp said in a strange, raspy voice. "We just happened to be in the neighborhood."

"So we thought we'd drop in," Blackarachnia added then fired at Optimus. He ducked and signaled for everyone to transform for battle. The Maximal leader came inside the room, using his jets for elevation. The others filtered in behind.

"Don't you know that gate crashing is just plain rude?" Cheetor retorted, dodging some of Megatron's shots. "Next time, try knocking!"

"There won't be a next time, kitty cat," Starfeather said, shooting for his feet then turning on Dinobot. However, the raven hoped with all her spark that there would be a next time. While she was engaged with the raptor, the golden mech decided to try and take out Waspinator. He fired repeatedly, but each time, to his utter surprise, he missed. He watched as the wasp soared around the room, throwing off all who attempted to knock him down at an almost unimaginable speed. He burst through the first opening, guarded by Rhinox and Rattrap. They couldn't get a clear shot as he was flying too quickly. The fighting stopped between Dinobot and Starfeather as they both looked up at the wasp with astonishment.

"Since when did buzz boy learn that move?" the cheetah asked aloud.

Waspinator came back into the room as if on cue. "Since his mainframe was commandeered by the mighty Starscream!"

_So it_ is_ true!_ Cheetor thought as he fled from the fire now raining down on him from Waspina- er, Starscream's blaster.

Dinobot turned in an attempt to get Starscream off of the cheetah's tail but was hit and knocked unconscious by Megatron. The Predacon leader tisked his tongue at the ex-Predacon. "We must pay attention Dinobot. Otherwise, deary me, look what happens."

Optimus Primal realized that there was no way they could win this fight. All the Predacons were bearing down on them in full force and one of his own bots was down. "We've got to get out of here! Regroup and recover!" he ordered.

"What? And leave the place to the Preds?" Rattrap protested.

"We have no choice," Optimus reasoned. "On my signal!" He then dove to collect Dinobot. Then, downed comrade in arms, he gave the call. "Maximals! Full retreat!"

"What? No!" Starfeather hissed under her breath.

As Optimus struggled to rise and escape through the opening in the wall, Terrorsaur came to block it. He wore a malicious, cocky smirk as he waited for the Maximal leader to get in his range but Optimus had other ideas. He put his jets on maximum burn and thrust forward. As he passed, he shoved a fist in Terrorsaur's face, knocking him to the ground.

Anger boiled up in Starfeather as she watched Optimus leave but she knew he had to. She soared out of the hole and down to where her wing mate was sitting up and holding his nose. She gasped slightly at seeing energon dripping from what she could see of his chin. She landed beside him and gingerly touched the side of his face. "Are you okay?" she asked.

He grunted before he responded. "I think that fragger broke some part of my olfactory sensor." He removed his hand to reveal that it was covered in blood. The raven flinched but thought of something that might help stop or at least slow the bleeding.

"Here," she said, reaching into her subspace and pulling out her old tie dye tee shirt. "Use this."

"Thanks," he muttered and took the shirt. He wiped his hand before moving to his face. It took a few moments, but the flow of energon soon stopped.

Starfeather smiled sadly at the sight of her favorite shirt. Most of the bright colors were masked by the softly glowing substance and had seeped through the cloth. She shook her head mentally at herself. _I don't need it anymore. Besides, it was a necessary sacrifice,_ she thought.

"Are you two quite finished?" a gravelly voice chimed in.

The two looked to see the wasp standing a few feet way, arms folded and optics slightly narrowed. The raven thought she caught a low growl in Terrorsaur's throat. "As a matter of fact, we are."

"Well then, let us not keep Megatron waiting." Starscream then turned on his heel, jumped up and re entered the _Axalon_.

The red mech let his growl grow a little louder. "What's the matter?" Starfeather asked. "You're starting to sound like an angry dog."

He ceased the noise. "Nothing," he said a little gruffly and stood up. He held out the dripping shirt to her. "Here, I'm done with it."

She took it but looked at him strangely. Terrorsaur was acting weird and she didn't see a reason as to why. She decided to get to the bottom of this when she had time to talk. Right now, they had to meet with the other Predacons. When they went inside and found their way to the command center, Megatron had already begun his celebration.

"Victory!" he declared, arms outspread. "The Maximal base is mine, yes!"

Terrorsaur and Starfeather assumed their places quietly as Tarantulas put his two cents worth in.

"But what do we do now? If we're here, then our base is unprotected."

The Predacon leader was quick to answer. "First we concur, now we divide. Tarantulas, Terrorsaur; you will return with me. Scorponok, Blackarachnia, and Starfeather shall remain behind under the command of Starscream," he ordered, indicating to each individual.

The raven softly gulped but nodded in acknowledgment. Terrorsaur, however, would not go as quietly. "Starscream?" he questioned, almost spitting the name out like bad energon. "How come _he_ gets promoted?"

The two fliers glared at each other for a moment, one from his high horse the other challengingly. The standoff was put to an end nearly as soon as it began by Megatron slamming the red mech against the table between the jaws of his Tyrannosaurus arm. He grunted, vainly trying to move. Starfeather quietly gasped. She longed to just leap at Megatron and tear his head off but she knew she couldn't do so.

"Thus you are rewarded for your loyal service," Megatron stated to the wasp then turned to the mech in his grasp, lifting him up off the table by the neck to look him in the optics. "And thus you are encouraged to keep your beak shut." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he threw Terrorsaur across the room. He came to a sudden stop against the wall above the platform that led down outside the ship, sliding into a heap on the lift, his nose bleeding again

Starscream watched with sickly amusement, his face appearing stone cold. Yet, a feeling of deja vu crept over him. This was the exact treatment he had once received from his last commander. He almost felt sorry for the other mech.

Starfeather also watched, frozen in place, until she saw the blood. She hurried again to her wing mate, already taking the same shirt out from her subspace. Kneeling down by his side, she gave Megatron a death glare. "That was uncalled for," she snarled.

The Predacon leader gave her a disapproving look. Starscream changed the course of events by speaking. "I am merely grateful that I had a chance to help," he said smoothly.

"Yeah, I'll bet," Blackarachnia muttered to herself. She had made herself comfortable on a control consol just behind the two mechs. She knew Starscream was up to something.

Megatron then turned to speak with Scorponok.

Meanwhile, Terrorsaur was talking to Starfeather quietly enough for only her to hear. "Don't worry about it," he was saying, referring to his nose. "Listen, it probably won't be long before Megatron wants to leave so, while I'm gone, watch your self. If anything happens, just call."

She sighed. "I'll be fine, you're the one that's hurt."

Before anything more could be said, Megatron ordered for the ones he specified to leave with him. Starfeather tried to help Terrorsaur up but he brushed her off. She looked at him with concern but he just trailed a finger across her cheek and left with the others. She watched him go, stunned. He just wasn't acting right to day.

-x-

A certain falcon circled high over the Maximal base and watched as the Maximals fled. She also noticed that Optimus Primal was carrying Dinobot, who appeared to be unconscious. "Something tells me this isn't just a fire drill," Airazor said to herself. She continued to watch and saw as about half of the Predacons left the base. "I'd better find Tigatron," she murmured and flew away in search of the tiger. She soon found him prowling around a rocky valley. Swooping down, she gave a cry of her beast form to catch his attention.

The white tiger looked up and silently watched her descent. "News update from you spy in the sky!" she called before landing. "The Preds seem to have taken over the base. Half of them just left and guess who's in charge."

Tigatron had not been informed about Starscream yet so you can imagine his surprise when the falcon told him. All they could do about this for now was help the others and try to think of a plan to regain the _Axalon_.

-x-

Twenty-four hours passed. The stasis pod with the protoform that Megatron planned for Starscream to use had crashed. This would be an easy steal as the Maximals had no clue that it had landed or even the location. Megatron himself, Starscream, and Tarantulas had left the bases, leaving Terrorsaur and Blackarachnia to watch one and Starfeather and Scorponok to watch the other.

The raven had to act fast. She knew where the pod had landed and knew the Maximals might have a chance to get there first if they happened to be near. So she slipped soundlessly to her room in the _Axalon_ and took out her communicator. "Black bird to big ape. Please, come in."

_"Big ape here. What is it black bird?"_ Optimus replied.

"A stasis pod has crashed and Megatron, Tarantulas, and Starscream are already on their way. What's your position?"

He gave her their location and she told him where the pod had landed. Unfortunately, they were all the way at the other end of the territory and would not be able to reach the doomed protoform. Optimus thanked Starfeather anyway and left her with some words of comfort.

_"None of this was your fault," _he said gently. _"You didn't have the time to give us a proper message. We just didn't interpret it fast enough."_

"No," she protested. "I should have just said we would attack the other side."

_"Don't beat yourself up, Star. What's done is done,"_ he urged. _"Everyone makes mistakes, no matter how experienced they may be. Now, I'd better let you go. Big ape: out."_

She sat on the floor of her room for several minutes after the transmission was cut. "Bye," she whispered. No matter what Optimus said, she knew that this was her fault. She could have done _something_ to get in someone's way.

One question burned in her mind. How could he be so calm about all this? He lost the base and was going to lose a slumbering team mate for crying out loud! Not to mention that he and the others were going to be destroyed within the week! And it _was_ all **her** fault! She wanted to scream and tear something apart to release her pent up frustrations and self inflicting anger.

Taking some deep breaths to cool off, she put the communicator away and left the room. She went back to her duties with Scorponok, who asked no questions about her short disappearance. They waited in silence for Starscream to return. Starfeather hoped that Waspinator would come as well. She missed the guy's buzzing voice and almost innocent compound optics that she had grown to love like a brother.

Approximately an hour went by before the ex-Seeker returned. When he entered the base, Starfeather took a fearful step back from the consoles, aqua green optics wide. He now had an imposing air about him rather than the somewhat familiar look that he had had with the wasp's body. Searing violet optics bore into her own. His body structure was similar to Terrorsaur's, being able to transform into a golden eagle. He was mostly rusty gold and milky grey with some red and black highlights. His helm was featherless and black, contrasting his white face, and it did not wrap around his chin like Terrorsaur's.

The raven couldn't help but notice that there were several similarities to this mech and Terrorsaur. Their faces were nearly exact replicas to each other, they both had broad torsos and slimmer waists, and their voices... Could they be related somehow?

She would have to ask but later. Right now, Starscream was coming closer. She stiffly saluted in an attempt to appease him. He simply offered her another glare and continued on. Waspinator didn't follow. She was disappointed at not seeing him again but figured she could wait a while yet.

Blackarachnia was soon sent back and things were quiet for the rest of the day.

-x-

In all his eons of solitude, Starscream had had surplus amounts of time to think. In his past life, or at least what he could remember since he was brought back from the Matrix, he had not been too fond of femmes. The ones he had known were either Autobots or just plain glitches. But here, the two Predacon femmes seemed fairly descent.

Blackarachnia seemed like a perfect match for him. So far of what he had seen of her, she distrusted and disliked everyone, and seemed in it for herself. Not to mention her dark, sexy mainframe had captured his interests. He began to wonder what she could offer him.

That Starfeather was also quite pleasing to look at. She had such slender and dainty limbs, smooth soft lips and face, silky feathers just begging to be stroked and teased with, and those optics of hers were like glowing crystals of aqua green light. Unfortunately, she already had someone after her.

Terrorsaur seemed quite like himself, even in appearance and voice. Not to mention even the same sort of relationship with Megatron. Starscream wondered if it was just chance that they were so much alike. He would have to dig deeper into this.

To begin his quest for answers, he had to search the files he had downloaded earlier before obtaining a body. Scanning though all the useless information, he finally came to Terrorsaur's available genealogy records. The eagle read the names of the parents, grandparents, great grandparents...

_Hmm, interesting..._

-x-

Terrorsaur was finally able to get some time alone from his duties on the _Darkside_. The work loads had been doubled on everyone at both bases to make up for the lack of members at separate locations. He was exhausted.

Why did things have to change when it was all going so good? And why did his direct ancestor, one of the most famous Decepticons in history, have to turn out to be such a pain in the aft? Maybe he was just paranoid.

The pterodactyl sighed. At least now he knew that his ultimate goal was more achievable: to become greater than Starscream ever was and lead the Predacons to victory. He smiled to himself thinking of all the ways he could dismantle Megatron. Then again, maybe his little bird would want the honors. Well, he'd leave her the final blow.

He wondered if everything was alright with her. She hadn't called since the takeover. Maybe he would check up on her tomorrow when he was put on scouting patrol if she happened to be scouting too.

-x-

Another day went by and the Predacons were starting to search out where the homeless Maximals might be taking refuge until their wounds were mostly healed and they could organize an attack. Starfeather was sent on one of these patrols. She went out solo and was thankful for it.

However, she was unaware of someone trailing her...

Once she had gone a mile or two, she felt it safe to land and contact the Maximals. She did so over a rocky terrain, alighting on a large boulder. "Terrorize," she commanded simply. Once her body was fully shifted, she took the communicator from her subspace and activated it. "Black bird to big ape. Do you copy?"

_"Big ape here. What do you have to report black bird?"_ Optimus replied.

Her stalker had heard enough. He had all the information he needed. _So, our own little bird is a spy... This is going to be fun._ He turned and slipped away like a faint shadow.

"The Predacons have begun seeking out your position," she informed him. "I hope Dinobot is able to walk because I'm afraid you might be found soon."

There was a pause before Optimus continued. _"Actually, we came up with a plan that might pay off..."_ He went on to explain how they were going to try and regain their base. He had barely finished before Starfeather heard an all too familiar squawk.

_No no no, not now Screechy!_ "I have to go. Someone's coming," she said in a rush and, not even waiting for a reply, shut off the communicator and nearly threw it back into her subspace before reverting to her beast form. She shot upwards to look around and, sure enough, there he was and he had spotted her as well.

It didn't take long for him reach her. When he did, they both transformed and he caught her up as if the raven had been gone for months on a trip overseas. She hugged back too, of course, though she wasn't as thrilled.

They said nothing for a while, only staying in the air clinging to one another. Terrorsaur was the first to speak once he pulled back to look at her properly. "Why didn't you call me?"

Starfeather shrugged. "I don't have anything to say. Sorry if you wanted me to."

"It's okay now," he murmured then rested his chin in the crook of her neck. "I'd rather see you than hear you."

She rolled her optics, fighting back a shudder. She didn't have time to get frisky. "More like _feel_ me. Do you mind? And don't say any form of no."

He laughed softly and nipped playfully at her neck.

"Ow, stop it!" It hadn't hurt but she wanted to get his attention away from her sensitive areas. She was beginning the loose the psychological fight of mindless pleasure and sensibility.

He immediately stopped and backed away. He looked down at her apologetically. "Did I hurt you?"

She glared at him, looking seriously into his crimson optics. "Of course not, but don't you dare go back to- ...to taking what you want from me!"

Terrorsaur stared at her, stunned. "What are you talking about? I wasn't- I mean, I thought you-"

"I _do_ enjoy your company and the time we share," Starfeather interrupted, less harshly. "But you've been taking it almost too far lately. Ever since Starscream came a few days ago, you've been... clingy. What is your problem?"

He continued to stare, what the raven had said gradually seeping in. After what seemed like hours, he finally spoke. "I'm sorry Starfeather, I... I wasn't thinking..."

She smiled sympathetically at him and touched his cheek. "Hey, I'm not mad at you. I was just concerned. Oh, and did you get that bloody nose taken care of?"

He merely scoffed at her in mock offence. "You think I'm stupid enough to leave an annoying injury like that? And that reminds me," He took something from his subspace and handed it to her. She looked down at her clean tie dye shirt and smiled. "I guess energon doesn't stain." He gave her a crooked grin.

"Aw, that was sweet of you," she cooed and brought herself closer. "And I think that deserves a kiss." Her lips then found his and he welcomed them eagerly. He was relieved that she wasn't upset with him.

The moment came to an end all too soon as they had to return to their patrols and head to the bases they were stationed at.

-x-

As the day passed, Starscream, having all the information he needed from his investigations, began focusing his attention elsewhere. He watched his new comrades as they went about their assigned tasks. He also noticed that Blackarachnia was curt and acted suspicious whenever he would speak to her. To fulfill his curiosity, he approached her in the empty bridge of the ex-Maximal base.

"Perhaps I am being too over sensitive, Blackarachnia, but is there something you're not telling me?" he asked.

"More like something _you're_ not telling us," the she-spider snapped.

The eagle inclined his head. "Such as?"

She narrowed her black optics almost in disgust. "I read the data file on you more closely. You weren't sucked into a black hole. You were blasted by Galvatron after you betrayed him by taking the Omega Lock and absorbing its power into yourself!" She pointed at him accusingly, hints of a nasty smirk gracing her features.

That is when Starscream went on the defensive. "Galvatron was a fool! I _deserved_ to lead the Decepticons!" he snarled, shoving his face into hers. He calmed down somewhat and continued. "So, now you know my little secret. However, the question remains; why did you not expose me to Megatron?" He eyed her questioningly.

Blackarachnia's smirk became more visible. "Well, I thought you might be able to make me a batter offer." She then winked and turned to walk away, tempting him to follow.

Starscream chuckled as he obliged her, easing an arm over her slender shoulders. "Oh, I believe that there is something I have that possibly could perk your interests."

However, the black widow crossed her claws behind her back as they walked.


	25. Possession Part 3: Deviation

**#25 - Possession **

**Part 3: Deviation**

Starfeather stepped onto the platform that would lift her into the Maximal base. She felt sure that Optimus Primal's plan to try and regain the base would work as long as she did her part. Yet she was beginning to feel bad for the other Predacons. They had worked hard to capture this place and suspected nothing. Terrorsaur even suffered a broken nose.

She sighed. She reminded herself that they were supposed to be the bad guys here and that evil must never triumph. But... her wing mates weren't evil. To her, it seemed like they were just caught up in the wrong crowd. Maybe, once things went back to normal, she could dig deeper into her friends' pasts and find out how they ended up here in the first place. She already knew a little bit of Terrorsaur's story.

Her meeting with Terrorsaur had perked her up a bit and she was thankful that they had gotten things smoothed out for the time being.

The raven walked into the bridge once the lift had stopped. She intended to find Starscream and give her report that she had found nothing except some fading tracks that headed into the forest. Only, someone swiftly came up behind her, clamped a hand over her mouth and nose and snaked a painfully strong arm around her waist.

Starfeather tried to scream but her airways were blocked. She tried to break free from her captor's grasp but he was too strong. He took her out of the empty control center and down lesser used hallways until they came to one of the storage bays.

By now, Starfeather was beginning to loose consciousness as she fought for breath and to escape and fight back. Soon enough, her captor released his hold on her face and grabbed her throat and slammed her against a stack of crates. She cried out as the side of her face hit the metal box, squeezing her optics tight.

"What do you want with me?" she wailed.

"I want to know exactly how long this little game of yours has been going on." For a second, she thought it was Terrorsaur talking to her but that couldn't be right. For one, Terrorsaur was at the Predacon base. For another, the voice was deeper and gravelly. It had to be Starscream.

"What are you talking about?" she rasped, honestly not having any clue as to what Starscream was demanding.

He growled and punched her side. She cried out in pain again, tears leaking from her optics. "I'm referring to your rather intimate relationship with the Maximals, ex-human."

She gasped, the intended insult not even registering in her mind. Oh _no_. When had he seen her talk with them? How much had he seen? Who else knew? This couldn't be happening! "They had me cornered! They wouldn't let me go alive until I said I'd be a double agent for them!" she wheezed in an attempt to lie her way out.

His grip tightened around her neck. She squeaked hoarsely. "You're lying!" He slapped the exposed side of her face. She hissed at the stinging pain. He roughly turned her around to face him, digging his fingers into her shoulders. "How long have you been spying for them?" he demanded.

All he got in response was a shriek. "I never wanted to hurt anyone! I just wanna go home!" Her spark was beating wildly in panic. What was he going to do? How would she get out of this?

"You're not going home and you never will go home! Now tell me how long you've been spying for the Maximals!"

"Just kill me, please!" she sobbed. "I'd rather die than face everyone after this!"

Suddenly, his grip loosened and Starscream lightly touched her still throbbing cheek and wiped away her tears. She flinched at his gentle touch. "Oh, but I have no intentions of killing you wastefully, little femme," he murmured.

Starfeather opened her aqua green optics to stare at him. Oh no. Was he after her too? This could not be happening... "Wh-what do you w-want?" she stuttered again, beginning to tremble in impending fear as images of past harassments came to mind.

He chuckled in his throat, almost a purr of amusement. "I merely want information in exchange for your good company."

"I-I'm already s-seeing someone and someone else wants m-me," she hiccupped.

"No no no, I don't want you like that," he said then picked her up, cradling her to his chest like a young toddler. "You see, I've never had the chance to raise someone after myself and I think you would make a wonderful student seeing as you are the youngest Predacon."

She looked up at him unsurely. "Student?" she questioned.

"Yes, basically I'll teach you my method on how to gain status and influence people to achieve your goals."

She stared at the eagle with confusion. Something felt amiss about all this. One minute, Starscream had been attacking her, the next, he was holding her like a large baby and offering to train her under himself. She wasn't even sure that he was only going to do just that. It could be a cover up for something else. But what?

Perhaps the best way to get out of this was to accept and play along. "A-alight... I joined them about eight months ago because I was tired of taking kicks from Megatron so I became a spy to help the Maximals defeat him." She knew she had lied again but she didn't care. No one else knew her true reasons so she was safe, right?

"Greed and self interest, 'ay? I like the way you think, Starfeather," he praised. "Now, let's get those dents taken care of."

The raven only whimpered softly and lowered her gaze. She wondered if Starscream was telling the truth about what he was going to do with her. He was certainly acting like he wanted some fun with her but going about it a different way than Megatron.

After a few moments of him silently carrying her to the C.R. chambers, Starfeather decided to speak. "Are you going to tell anyone or have you already?" she asked quietly.

"Of course not, little femme," Starscream replied. "That would only make everyone mad with you and Megatron would most certainly and unwisely want you killed for your treachery. That wouldn't do, now would it?"

She looked down at her clasped hands and shook her head. Despite herself, she snuggled closer into his chest and closed her optics, longing for some form of comfort. What had she done? Why had she agreed to be a spy? Why had she agreed to what Starscream had offered? Why did she even have to **be** here?

-x-

Starscream smirked to himself as the door to the C.R. chamber hissed shut. The little girl turned Transformer was even weaker and stupid than he had first calculated hence making matters easier. And with Blackarachnia under his spell, everything was going according to plan.

-x-

Within the hour, Starfeather was fully erased of her indentions but her uneasiness remained. She felt like her finally patched-up world had suddenly collapsed all over again. All that she had tried to hide had had the blanket ripped away for everyone to see. She continued to sit in the welcoming darkness of the C.R. chamber and wonder what was going to become of all this.

After what seemed like days, the raven ventured from the safety of the chambers to face Starscream once again. She did still have that blasted report to give. She made a sour face at the remembrance of the nick name the eagle had given her. "_Little femme_," she spat. "That's almost as bad as "my dear"."

-x-

That evening, the raven was feeling jittery. Number one was because she knew the Maximals would be coming any minute. Number two, someone who she really didn't trust knew her big secret. Strange and fortunate, she thought, that he didn't ask her if the Maximals were planning anything. Oh well, if the plan worked, she could always say that they didn't leave her a memo.

She was pacing up and down in the main control room, listening to the soft humming of the cooling systems of the computers all around her. She repeatedly glanced at the perimeter radar that was currently up on one of the main screens, watching for Maximal signatures. She sighed and continued her pacing until she bumped into someone.

She gasped and looked up to see it was Starscream. She groaned inwardly. What did he want now? "Yes?"

"I couldn't help but notice that you seem very anxious," he said, almost smugly. "Is anything the matter?"

"What do you _think_ is the mater?" she snapped.

"Yes... then I want you to stop worrying about it, little femme," he ordered in a quiet tone. "You can trust me, whether you think you can or not."

"Somehow, that doesn't comfort me," Starfeather huffed and turned to the monitor.

Starscream tisked his tongue and put a hand to her shoulder. "Now don't be like that. I'm sure-" He was cut off by a blaring alarm, warning that intruders were in the vicinity. Both snapped their heads toward the radar screen. It looked as if all of the Maximals were approaching. The eagle set his jaw and glared at the femme. "Why didn't you tell me they were going to attack?"

"Y-you didn't ask," she stammered. She yelped when he roughly grabbed her arm and growled. "They're not attacking! They're coming to surrender..."

He continued to glare down at her. "Surrender?" he repeated.

She looked down at the floor. "Yes... D-dinobot needs a C.R. chamber."

Stupid girl. He would have to teach her some respect when he had the time. Right now, this seemed the perfect opportunity to attempt his plans. If all worked accordingly, both the ex-human and the she-spider would be bowing to his every whim not to mention all the other bolt brains this Megatron had collected.

Starscream opened a comm. channel to Blackarachnia and Scorponok. "Converge at the bridge ASAP. We have company." He then turned on Starfeather. "You stay by me."

She visibly gulped and nodded. When the scorpion and black widow entered the room, Starscream gave the order to crowd onto one of the two lifts and greet their guests. Just as the raven had said, Optimus Primal stated that he and his team were putting up their armaments on behalf of their injured comrade.

The Predacons had stepped off the lift and were lined up before the group of weather-beaten Maximals, all in their beast modes save for Optimus. Blackarachnia and Starfeather were on either side of Starscream and Scorponok was near the she-spider.

The eagle lifted an optic ridge. "This all seems too convenient... Tell me, Primal, why should I not just have you all blown into oblivion here and now?"

Optimus had to forcibly push the words from his mouth. "We," he sighed. "We will do whatever you want."

Starscream paused a moment to mull this over with narrowed optics. Soon, he nodded his head. "I accept. Bring him forward." He then beckoned the femmes to listen closely. "Lesson one, always show compassion as a useful cover for your true motives," he instructed softly.

Starfeather straightened and stared at him. Number one, this was not what she wanted to be learning. Number two, Blackarachnia was in on this schooling thing too? She couldn't believe this! She felt betrayed that he had lied to her by saying she was the only one he was going to take under his wing.

Her train of thought was put to a halt when Starscream ordered she fly back up the platform shaft with her fellow student. The girls glared at each other. The raven stiffly held out a hand and Blackarachnia grudgingly took it. Starfeather was careful not to bang her passenger around on the way up, however she much she wanted to. She figured it best not to start another quarrel today.

-x-

Once the C.R. chamber door closed on Dinobot, the ex-Seeker turned to Optimus. "Now then, you shall reap the appropriate reward for your trust and good faith. Starfeather, if you will, disarm him." Starscream ordered harshly, causing said raven to jump. "Force him to transform and then chain him in the brig!"

Starfeather looked from him to Optimus then to the other two Predacons in the room and back again. She swallowed her guilt and came to the Maximal leader. "You heard him, transform you worthless piece of slag!" she barked.

Optimus did so without a word and met her eye to eye. They seemed to exchange what needed to be said with just their looks and Starfeather shoved him on toward the brig.

"He ordered me to do this on purpose," she muttered as she went along with Primal ahead of her.

"It was just chance," Optimus tried to sooth quietly. "He's testing you to see if you can be trusted and how useful you will be to him."

She shook her head. "You don't understand sir; he overheard me communicating with you at some point and he wants to use me against you."

He was silent as they continued down the halls. "Where were you when you last used the communicator?" he finally asked.

"I was... near the western boarder," she answered.

"Starscream must have followed you then," Optimus concluded. "You're going to have to be more careful now. If worse comes to worst, you may need to leave to protect yourself and everyone else."

Her optics widened in horror. "But Optimus-"

"Shh," he warned and pointed back behind them, emphasizing that the Predacons might overhear.

"I can't just get up and go!" she hissed. "Terrorsaur would go off the wall and I don't want to know what Waspinator would do. He might literally go insane. Slag it, he could seriously hurt or kill himself!"

"Then..." Optimus ventured slowly. "If you three are as close as you always tell me, why not try and convince them to leave with you?"

Starfeather stopped dead in her tracks, mouth open and staring at her commander in utter shock. Of course! Why hadn't she thought of that before? But what if... No, consider variables later. "Maybe... but right now, permission to restrain you, sir?" She saluted.

He chuckled. "At ease. Permission granted."

-x-

When Starfeather returned to the bridge, Starscream ordered that they go back outside and inform the Maximals waiting there about the situation. The raven sighed but did as she was told. Starscream noticed this but didn't show it. He would deal with her after he was done with the Maximals.

The four Predacons were assembled back outside, Starscream front and center, the femmes on his either side, and Scorponok by the she-spider. "Attention fools," the eagle addressed the Maximals. "The raptor and the ape are now my prisoners. They will be disposed of you choose not to obey my orders!"

Starfeather closed her optics and sighed sadly at the astonished and angry shouts of her secret comrades. "We had an agreement Starscream!" Tigatron stated.

"And now we have another one," the ex-Seeker said coldly, leaning forward to make himself clear. "If you wish the lives of your comrade and commander to be spared, you will attack the Predacon base and bring Terrorsaur and Waspinator to me alive."

The raven jerked her attention to him the second the names of her wing mates passed from his lips. "What?" she breathed.

The brownish gold mech ignored her as Scorponok's yellow visor narrowed and Cheetor gasped. "The Pred base?" he repeated. "What is this?"

"It's called 'treachery'!" Scorponok said, aiming his claw missile launcher at Starscream but Starscream was quicker. He shot the scorpion in the shoulder causing him to spin like a clumsy dancer performing a pirouette. Blackarachnia acted next, blasting his other shoulder and making him twirl again only in the opposite direction. Starscream then looked expectantly at Starfeather. She stared at him, not believing what he was asking, no, commanding her to do.

"Finish him," he ordered darkly, his gravelly voice low.

She somehow was able to tare her optics away from him and look at Scorponok in the face. Both sides of his gray body were blackened and smoking, energon mixed with oil beginning to ooze from the wounds. The raven slowly pulled out her gun and took aim at his midsection, her hands shaking. Scorponok looked back at her, visor filled with resentment and pain. No matter how much she didn't like him, she really didn't want to shoot him.

Starscream's patients was draining fast. "Finish him now!" he barked, causing her to jump.

Cheetor watched the ordeal in disbelief, not only about what Starscream was doing, but the way Starfeather was acting. She was behaving like she was being forced to kill a friend. Cheetor knew that she didn't really consider Scorponok a friend or even too much of a family. Why was she so hesitant to even shoot the dog-loyal idiot?

Starfeather gulped and gazed back at the scorpion. By now, he was glaring at her, just daring her to fire. She closed her optics and gradually squeezed on the trigger. Her blaster fired and her arms braced against the recoil. She opened her optics to see Scorponok's fleeting figure, screaming as he disappeared. She sighed and allowed her arms to fall limp at her sides, her blaster clattering to the dusty ground.

However, the eagle gave her a pat on the back. "There, there, that wasn't so hard now was it?"

She said nothing.

Blackarachnia huffed.

Rattrap had had enough. "You're nothing but a lousy, scheming, snake in de grass Decepticon!" he spat, rearing on his hind legs and pointing.

Starscream smirked. "Flattery will get you flattened, vermin. Now, obey me!"

The Maximals looked at each other before turning to Rhinox. The rhino sighed. "We don't have a choice," he said in defeat. The others tried to protest but, realizing that if they didn't, ol' Screamer could very well kill Primal and Dinobot.

Starfeather watched as they left. She also noticed that Cheetor kept glancing back at her. She wondered what he was thinking, if he was upset with her. It wasn't her fault that Starscream had found her out. She had no choice but to obey him. She looked down at her feet and let out a breath of hot air.

This week just kept getting worse and worse.

-x-

After they had gone inside, Starscream ordered to speak with Starfeather alone. The bridge was empty and he was backing her into a corner by the C.R. chamber.

"What did Primal say to you?" the eagle growled low. "Tell me or suffer the consequences, girl."

"He- he just said he w-was disappointed in me that I didn't tell him about your true m-motives," she stammered, beginning to quiver under his glare. "I d-didn't tell him about you finding me out." Her back touched the cold wall and she quietly yelped.

The ex-Seeker studied her, not at all convinced. Yet, he knew that she could be telling the truth. He decided to let her go this time. "I hope you are telling me the truth, little femme... for your sake," he said dangerously and turned and stalked away.

The raven moaned as she slid down the wall until she was sitting against it. Her arms laid limp on the floor beside her and her fore head fell to rest on her knees. She considered crying to get rid of the stress but chose not to. Crying wouldn't solve her problems or really make her feel better. Maybe a song would cheer her up a bit...

Who was she kidding? Now wasn't the time for listening to music! Well... she remembered that she hadn't gotten her energon for the day... Oh, whatever.

Starfeather stood up and brushed herself off. Reaching into her subspace, she took out her most prized possession, slipped the headphones over her head, and scrolled through the artist list she had as she made her way to where the Maximals kept their energon stored.

She selected a group and a song, hitting repeat. She hummed the tune softly to herself as she approached the bins and selected a reddish hued cube. She sat on a nearby crate and rapped her heels lightly against it to the beat of the song. She took a few sips of the energizing liquid, licking her lips when she set the cube next to her. She then sang the chorus quietly to herself. However, her voice unwittingly grew louder and her optics shut off as she became lost in the lyrics.

"_I wanna sleep under a different piece of sky. I wanna live a little bit before I die. I wanna be so close to Heaven that I see angels. Carry me oh so far away. May my body never touch the ground and if I promise you I'll be back someday, will you set me free so I can fly away? Fly away, fly away-_"

The sound of a pair of hands clapping jerked her back to reality. Starfeather gasped, frantically punching the power button, and looked up to the door only to see the last individual she wanted to hear her singing.

"You have quite a vocal talent, little femme." Starscream praised, giving an amused smirk. "Though, I am not familiar with the tune or words."

Starfeather's body was fighting its self on whether it should heat up or pale. She was feeling rather uneasy and set her gaze on her half empty cube. "Well, um... I, uh, it's... it's an Earth song."

He gave a grunt and a slight nod of acknowledgment. It was then he noticed the small turquoise device in her hand and visible between her fingers were the glittering colors of red and white. "What is that?" the ex-Seeker questioned.

By now, Starfeather's body had settled on heating her face. "What's what?" she asked, truly not knowing what Starscream was asking.

"That thing in your hand!" he snapped. "What is it?"

She visibly flinched. "An iPod," she squeaked and held the item close to her chest to protect it.

Starscream narrowed his violet optics and held out his hand. "Give it to me."

Her own aqua green optics widened in surprise and fear. "What?"

"Give it to me!"

Starfeather flinched again and looked down nervously at her iPod, reluctant to let go of one of her only belongings from her past. The hope that Starscream would give it back was the only thing that made her give it to him.

He roughly snatched it and brought it up to optic level. He turned it over and saw clearly the shimmering red star sticker bordered in silvery white. He noted that it was an odd coincidence that it was a star and the same colors he had. "What does this star mean?" he demanded.

"It doesn't mean anything," she answered. "It's just a sticker Alexis gave me when... oops." The raven clamped her mouth after saying the name of her favorite babysitter. However, the eagle snapped his attention to her.

"Alexis..." He rolled the name on his tongue once or twice. No images came to mind but something about the name... He thought nothing more of it and carelessly tossed the device in Starfeather's general direction without a word.

She gasped as she dove to catch her iPod. She did so just inches before it hit the unforgiving floor. She immediately and gently put back in her subspace and shot Starscream and heated glare.

Before the eagle left down the hallway, he called over his shoulder. "Meet me and Blackarachnia at the bridge in three cycles," he ordered and was gone.

Starfeather sighed and randomly looked back at her still half empty cube of energon. She might as well finish it and head to the command center. She did so in a few gulps and left the room and wandered absentmindedly down the halls to her destination.

Then suddenly she stopped. Starscream said that he wanted the Maximals to bring him Terrorsaur and Waspinator, didn't he? She had to warn them! Hastily, she ducked into an empty room, made sure no one was around, and activated a channel to Terrorsaur's comm. link.

_"Terrorsaur here,"_ was the pterodactyl's response.

"Terrorsaur, please listen. It's me," Starfeather pleaded.

_"Starfeather?"_ He sounded slightly surprised but seemed to brush it away. _"What-"_

She didn't give him time to ask. The Maximals could arrive at the base any second. "Starscream's turned against us and has the Maximals going to attack the base you're at!" she hissed. "He also ordered them to capture you and Waspy and bring you to him. You two need to either get out of there now or tell Megatron."

There was a quick pause as the red mech swiftly contemplated what to do. _"I'll grab Waspinator and we'll head beyond scanner range."_

She nodded. "Alright. I'll contact you again when it's safe."

_"See you later,"_ he said.

"Bye," she replied and terminated the link. Before anyone could notice her absence, Starfeather exited the empty room and continued to the main control room. When she did get there, Blackarachnia was already waiting.

The black widow narrowed her black optics. "So," she began unpleasantly casually. "When did he pull you into this?"

"Yesterday," The raven shrugged. "Don't ask me why. I have no idea what he thinks he sees in."

"I don't either." The she-spider smirked. Starfeather glared at her, deciding not to respond this time. Fortunately, Starscream came in the room. He eyed each of the girls in turn before speaking.

"I greatly appreciate students who are punctual," he said, nearly a purr. "Now then, if you would for us Blackarachnia, bring up a visual of the Predacon base."

She did so and the image the screen showed was one that made Starfeather gasp. Apparently, her wing mates didn't get away in time. They were just outside the base and were desperately trying to fend off the Maximals and get away. Rhinox and Tigatron were nearly on top of Waspinator and Cheetor was in beast mode, dodging Terrorsaur's shots and leaping at him like a real animal hunting him down. Airazor was helping to keep Terrorsaur in place while Rattrap covered by destroying the defense grid guns of the Predacon base.

"No," Starfeather breathed.

The eagle chuckled to himself at the sight. "Lesson number two ladies, they're always more gullible than you'd hope."

"Lesson three, disregard lessons one and two!" came a new voice.

The three jerked their heads in that direction to see Optimus Primal. He immediately fired in between the femme's at Starscream. He ducked, of course.

"He's no match for the three of us. Destroy him!" the eagle ordered.

Starfeather was hesitant to shoot but she forced herself to once Optimus had jumped to the side to avoid the other shots.

"How about I bring a friend to the party?" the Maximal leader said and blasted the C.R. chamber's door wide open. Dinobot burst from inside, ready to lunge at anyone who dared come near.

"Very impressive, Optimus Primal, but I still have my wits and my superior speed!" Starscream cried and, flying a quick circle around him while pressing the button to the roof hatch, soared up and out and away.

"Thanks for the help!" Blackarachnia called after him, her words laden with sarcasm. "Remind me to return the favor." With that, she fired her grappling hook from her blaster and leaped out the hatch and out of sight.

With them gone, Starfeather turned to Optimus and Dinobot. "Optimus, Starscream wanted the other Maximals to get Terrorsaur and Waspinator and bring them to him! We have to stop him, please!"

"Calm down Starfeather," Optimus soothed, coming to her and resting his hand on her shoulders. "We will but you have to stay here so Starscream will think that you are still here engaging Dinobot."

"But Optim-"

"Don't force me to make that an order."

The raven was going to protest again but sighed and nodded her head. "Alright."

Optimus smiled sympathetically. "I'll contact you when you can go back." That said, he took off out the hatch and was gone. Starfeather watched him go and kept her optics where he had disappeared. She hoped that the Maximal leader could save her closest friends from what ever Starscream had in mind for them.

Dinobot studied the femme staring off seemingly into space, a look of childish fear and hope upon her silvery face. She didn't belong here. She was such a delicate young woman, not even an adult by human standards. Megatron and Tarantulas would pay for the harm they had brought to this innocent. As a warrior, it was the honorable thing to do.

The raptor put his weapons away and went to a computer consol to bring up a visual of the battle. The raven turned her head to watch as well but stayed where she was. She almost looked away at what she saw. Both Terrorsaur and Waspinator had already been caught and they were just beginning to take them away.

Her warning had come too late.

-x-

Terrorsaur screeched as he shoved Cheetor away with his feet and leaped back into the air. Airazor was there to meet him though and they locked yet again in a hand-to-hand combat. The pterodactyl growled at the falcon

"This isn't like you Maximals to just attack helpless Predacons out of the blue," he said, blocking a blow to his face. He really didn't want another bloody nose this week.

"Believe me, it was a 'spur of the moment' thing," Airazor retorted and aimed a kick at his stomach. He grabbed her foot and, smirking in brief triumph, flung her towards a rock face. She collided, her head hitting the stone hard and affectively knocked her out. She fell to the ground and didn't get up again.

Cheetor snarled from a few feet away and, transforming back to his beast form, leaped at Terrorsaur again. The cheetah grabbed hold of one of Terrorsaur's shoulder cannons in his mouth.

The pterodactyl squawked and lashed out in pain before gritting his teeth. "You wanna go for a ride, kitty cat?" he challenged and, without waiting for an answer, took off at full speed straight up into the sky. He dodged a few shots from Rattrap until he was out of range. Cheetor growled and shook his head roughly but refused to let go.

"You're asking for it," Terrorsaur hissed and swerved sharply to the left in an attempt to dislodge his attacker. Cheetor hung on and growled again. "Let me warn you, this will hurt!" Terrorsaur swooped down into a freefall, his back and Cheetor facing the ground. The golden mech saw this coming and a few feet from impact, he sprang off and landed on all four paws. He watched in amusement as Terrorsaur crashed into the ground, leaving a well shaped crater.

"That sure looks like it would hurt," the cheetah said and snickered. He then jumped on top of the red mech and stared him in the face, the other's optics flickering. "So were you warning me or were you just talking to yourself there? I'm confused."

Terrorsaur said nothing. He only gave a pained and disoriented squawk before his optics darkened. Cheetor chuckled. "You're coming with me now, bat boy." The cheetah then locked his jaw around the other's ankle and began dragging him back to where the others were.

Meanwhile, Waspinator was fairing a little better than his wing mate but not by much. Both his wings had been shot off and his gun was laying at the edge of a small lava flow, not to mention Tigatron was holding his arms behind him and making him kneel under the cover of a large boulder.

When the wasp had been secured, Rhinox had moved to help Rattrap in destroying all the auto guns around the Predacon base.

Airazor was beginning to come around. She groaned, rolling onto her stomach. She pushed herself up and shook her head to clear her vision of the brightly colored static. She looked up and first noticed a yellow and red blur in the distance and, focusing in, saw it was Cheetor dragging a limp Terrorsaur back to this location.

_I'd better go help him,_ she thought and slowly stood up. Regaining her sense of balance, she took to the sky and land in front of the two. "That's quite a load you have there. Need a hand?" she offered.

"I sure wouldn't mind one," The big cat smiled and transformed. They each held an arm and hoisted the unconscious body up between them and carried him to where Tigatron was guarding Waspinator. Said wasp made a disappointed and worried buzzing noise at the sight of his wing mate.

The falcon took pity on the Predacon flier. Starfeather was right when she said that Waspinator seemed so childlike at times. After she and Cheetor had set Terrorsaur in a slouched sitting position against the boulder, she knelt beside him. "He's not damaged too badly," she tried to comfort him quietly. "He'll be up and kicking again when he wakes up."

"Wazzpinator knowz but that not what really bothering Wazpinator," he moped, looking down between his feet. "Wazpinator bothered becauzze Wazpinator not know what Zcreamer-bot want with uzz."

Airazor nodded. "I can understand that... I'm sorry."

Waspinator looked up at her with those big blue compound optics. "W-Wazpinator think Maximal Bird-bot not zzo bad anymore..."

The falcon half smiled. "You're not so bad either... bug eyes." The two laughed softly.

Cheetor grimaced, rolling his optics, and proceeded to slap some restraining cuffs on the red mech's wrists.

However, Tigatron was more open to the conversation exchanged by Waspinator and Airazor. He found that he could sympathize with the wasp and was perfectly at ease with the way Airazor was speaking to him. She was certainly a gentle soul and was fun to be around. What he really noticed about her was her fascination for nature and preference to remain outdoors and in beast form, much the same as himself.

The tiger was pulled from his thoughts when Cheetor shoved another set of the restraining cuffs at him to put on Waspinator. Tigatron took them as politely as he could at the moment and put them on the wasp's wrists.

Once Rhinox was informed that both Predacon fliers were secure, he and Rattrap began to back off. "Alright, let's move!" he called and transformed to beast form. Terrorsaur was laid across the rhino's back and Airazor volunteered to assist Waspinator. The group then fled the scene to return to the Maximal base.

-x-

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

_Ooh... my head...my back... Wait, where the Pit am I?_

Terrorsaur forced his unwilling optics online and was confused at what he saw. The thumping sensation was from himself laying across Rhinox's back. With further examination of his current position, confusion then turned to panic. He had been captured and was being taken to the Maximal base with no sign of other Predacon pursuit! "Lemme go you slagging Maximals!" he screeched and lashed out in an attempt to free himself.

"Do you want to fall off and let me trample you in the process?" Rhinox threatened. Terrorsaur immediately froze and gulped. He softly growled to himself and resorted to glaring at Cheetor, who was running along side. The cheetah glared back, green beast mode eyes flashed with resentment.

The red mech grew tired of this silent mental battle so glanced around to see if Waspinator had been captured as well. To his disappointment, his wing mate had suffered the same fate as him but he didn't seem too upset... Was he actually _talking_ to Airazor? Not buzzing to his self, not spitting trash talk, not complaining, but _talking_? This just wasn't right.

Before he could try and say anything to the two fliers, there was a scream of a great eagle. They all stopped and looked to see a giant golden eagle circling down toward them. When it was close enough, they heard it speak. "Ah, so you Maximals were successful in your mission. Now, release them."

Rattrap gaped at Starscream. "What? But we just-"

"Hold you vocalizer, mouse!" the eagle snapped. Rhinox gave the rat a warning look. "Now do as I say."

The other Maximals all looked to the rhino for conformation. He nodded solemnly and Airazor lowered herself and Waspinator to the ground. She said a few reassuring words to him as she took off the restraining cuffs and stepped back with a final, "I'm sorry, I wish I could help."

The two cats transformed and helped Terrorsaur to his feet. Terrorsaur decided not to resist this time. He clenched his fists as his cuffs were removed and snarled quietly at Cheetor, who snarled back.

"Excellent. Now come to me," Starscream ordered.

Terrorsaur and Waspinator moved away from the Maximals until they stood before the golden eagle. He transformed to his robot form and smiled wirily at the fliers. "I am sure you are wondering why I called you here so inconveniently."

"Yeah," Terrorsaur mumbled and crossed his arms. Waspinator buzzed nervously.

"I would like to make you an offer that you cannot refuse."

The pterodactyl raised an optic ridge. "And why can we not refuse it?"

"Because," Starscream said, glaring pointedly at the red mech. "Now pay close attention..."

**AN:** Song: **Fly Away** by _Sugarland_


	26. Possession Part 4: Just Like You

**#26 - Possession Part 4: Just Like You**

Starfeather barely listened as Dinobot roared after her. She didn't care what he threatened to do to her tail feathers if he ever got hold of her at the next battle. She just had to go after Optimus and somehow stop everyone from killing each other. Sure, Starscream was a pain in her neck but she felt that she had to do something to help. Besides, she didn't want to see Terrorsaur or Waspinator hurt.

-x-

Starscream studied the red and green Predacon fliers for several moments to build up suspense within them and the Maximals that stood in the background. Things weren't going quite as he had planned but perhaps this little alteration would work in his favor. If he could win over Terrorsaur and Waspinator and use them to drag Starfeather into joining him and steal the Golden Disc that Megatron had taken, he could finally achieve his life's dream of ruling Cybertron.

He cleared his throat for drama and to maintain their attention. "Terrorsaur, has it not been your goal for some time to destroy Megatron and lead the Predacons?"

The pterodactyl shrugged awkwardly. "Yeah, but-"

"And not only do you want to lead the Predacons, but do you also desire no competition for your potential mate; Starfeather?"

Terrorsaur blinked. "Whoa, whoa, wait a cycle, we're not-" he began to protest indignantly as he did not want to openly talk about such personal matters, especially with Starscream and Maximals listening, but he was cut off again.

They failed to hear a muffled growling and hissing from a certain Maximal cat.

"And Waspinator," the ex-Seeker continued, ignoring the red mech for now and turned to the wasp. "Do you long for some respect and peace of mind on a day-to-day basis?"

He fidgeted. "Umm..."

"If you will join me in our similar quests to bring down Megatron, then united, we can accomplish our single striving marks." Starscream clasped his hands together to make his point. "Do you agree?"

Before either of the fliers could answer, Rattrap decided to speak up. "Um, pardon me but, how exactly do _we_ fit in this little plan of yours?"

Starscream eyed him with annoyance. "You and the other Maximals will do as I tell you."

"Yeah?" the rat cocked an optic ridge. "And what about Optimus?"

The eagle's patience was wearing thin. "You had better weld your yap shut, vermin, or your next words will be your last."

"This is all a little uncalled for," Terrorsaur cut in. Optics snapped to look at him. He didn't notice. "And anyway, what makes you think that me or Waspinator would want to work with you?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Starscream recoiled mockingly, talking in a low, even more gravelly voice than normal. "I merely thought that my descendants would have been honored to fight and rule along side the most famed Decepticon in history."

"Well, you thought wrong- ..." Terrorsaur paused to turn Starscream's words over more carefully. "Wait... I know how I'm descended from you but... did you include Waspinator when you said "descendants"?"

Rhinox, who had been silently observing this whole thing, was also putting pieces together in his mind. His optics slightly widened at the prospect revealed to him. He had suspected that Terrorsaur was related to Starscream from the moment he had seen him (before records and such had been banned by the Maximal Elders, he had seen some pictures of the Decepticon Seeker). How could Waspinator be connected?

"Of course I did. Why would I lie about something like this?" Starscream replied truthfully.

Now, Waspinator looked down and wrung his hands, looking quite guilty all of a sudden. Terrorsaur stared at Starscream then noticed the wasp. "What's your malfunction?"

The green flier hesitated and when he did reply, he still didn't look up. "Wazzpinator knowz what Zzcreamer-bot iz talking about."

"Well then, spit it out," Terrorsaur demanded.

The ex-Seeker smirked as a heavy, uncomfortable silence fell on the group. Waspinator didn't say anything as the Maximals seemed to hold their breath, waiting almost as impatiently as Terrorsaur. After what seemed like hours, he spoke again. "W-Wazpinator never tell anybody thizz because Wazpinator not really sure, but now that Wazpinator lizten to Starzzcream..."

"Oh for crying out loud, just say it!" the red mech shouted.

The wasp flinched but continued. "Doezz Terrorsaur remember when he left home and never heard from again?"

He didn't like the mention of his past in front of an audience, especially if that audience was Maximals. "Yes," he said through clenched teeth.

"Well... Terrorsaur never call home so mom couldn't tell Terrorsaur about Wazzpinator."

Now he was just confused. "What?"

Starscream grumbled, his patience finally drained. "Stop dragging it out and just tell him!" he snapped. Waspinator flinched again but nodded rapidly.

"Terrorsaur iz Wazpinator'z brother."

Silence reined after those words were spoken. The pterodactyl stared disbelievingly at the wasp while the Maximals muttered amongst themselves. Now that it was mentioned, there were a lot of suspicious similarities between the fliers. They both had higher pitched voices and, even though this fact didn't make much of an impact as just about all Seekers look alike aside from certain features, they both had transformed into the same type of jet before taking on their current organic forms.

Terrorsaur continued to gape at Waspinator. "Wha...? That can't be, my creators were always fighting about _something_ when I left. Why would they have another sparkling after me and Bluesprite?"

Before anyone could say anything, the sound of jets was heard in the distance and was rapidly coming nearer. Starscream turned once again to his two descendents. "Your time has run out. Choose now or suffer."

Narrowed crimson and violet optics locked their gazes. The pale faces the respective optics belonged to mirrored each other right down to last detail. The younger snarled in defiance at his elder. He could see right through his ancestor's plot to supposed victory. In the end, just like when he was a Decepticon, he couldn't be trusted by anyone, not even by his own siblings. Terrorsaur gritted his teeth. Starscream smirked mirthlessly.

Just as he opened his mouth to speak, he was cut off by another voice. "I have to tell you Starscream, you're giving space debris a very bad name."

All optics snapped toward Optimus Primal. Starscream growled. "Primal, you begin to irritate me!" he shouted back.

"Big Bot!" Cheetor exclaimed. "Alright!"

"I'd say it's trampling time," Rhinox said, reactivating his weapons. The other Maximals followed suit and took aim at the three fliers. Optimus surprised them by ordering them to stand down.

"Leave them to me," he stated and took aim. Starscream leaped off the ground to meet his opponent on equal grounds. After all, _he_ was the master of the skies.

"No!" Terrorsaur shouted and all looked to him once again. He narrowed his optics to slits and pulled out his blaster. "He's mine."

**I could be mean**

Optimus regarded the red mech for a moment. He knew that he was descended from Starscream and strived to be like him so why would he want to be the one the take him on? To prove he was better than his ancestor? No, he knew the reason. Starscream had threatened Starfeather and, if he knew her well enough, she probably told him. Optimus guessed Terrorsaur was only wanting to protect his wing mate.

**I could be angry**

The Maximal leader considered this for a second. Perhaps it would be best if he let Terrorsaur handle this. He nodded to the flier. "Alright Terrorsaur," he agreed and backed off.

Rattrap and Cheetor gaped at their leader. "Optimus, what are you thinking?" the cheetah protested.

Optimus landed before his men and glanced over them all, ending with his red optics on the golden mech. "Just watch." was all he offered. Then all the Maximals and Waspinator turned to watch the confrontation.

Starscream growled. "Come back you coward!" he snarled.

"Sorry Starscream," the pterodactyl taunted as he rose to meet him. "It's just me and you."

**You know I could be just like you**

The fliers stared each other down, circling like two wolves about to battle for dominance of the pack. The circle became tighter with each revolution. They became close enough that they could lock hands if they chose to fight that way. The Maximals and Waspinator watched with baited breath.

Starscream was the first to strike. He lunged, twin blades formed from the wings on his upper arms. Terrorsaur leaped back and tried a right hook. He hit but Starscream didn't give and slashed again, this time leaving a long shallow splice across the red flier's mid section. Terrorsaur screeched in rage, ignoring the pain for the most part, and aimed a kick. The eagle dodged and managed to knock his opponent to the ground.

**I could be fake**

Terrorsaur hit the ground on his back, still sore from his interaction with Cheetor, dirt flying as he skidded into a tree trunk. He grunted with the effort of standing back up. Starscream was there to greet him.

**I could be stupid**

"Change your mind yet?" he asked silkily, pulling out his blaster from its holster.

Terrorsaur met his gaze and fingered his own gun. "Not on your life."

**You know I could be just like you**

The other narrowed his violet optics. "This isn't how I expected you to react to my offer. Why?" he interrogated.

The pterodactyl straightened, almost proudly. "You know what Starscream? For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be just like you..." He then took aim. "But now I see the misconceptions of my model." He fired and Starscream was blown backwards, sliding across the ground though still on his feet.

**You thought you were standing beside me**

**You were only in my way**

**You're wrong if you think that I'll be just like you**

He hissed with the pain but ignored it, maintaining optic contact. Terrorsaur went on. "I thought I wanted to be scheming and back-stabbing, just like you. I thought I wanted to make everyone fear and respect me, just like you... I thought I wanted to _be_ just like you."

While he was speaking, Starscream was subtly feeling his way to his sword hilt. When Terrorsaur stopped, he drew it out and pointed it towards his opponent. "So tell me, my foolish counterpart, what could have possibly changed you mind?" the eagle spat.

Terrorsaur took a step back at the sight of the sword, especially when it started glowing scarlet. He knew how well a swordsmech the ex-Seeker had been. However, quite suddenly, he took out his own sword which shown bright orange. This surprised everyone, even Starscream slightly. The pterodactyl crossed blades with his ancestor and narrowed his crimson optics. "I honestly don't know how my mind got changed... but I'm going to stick with my choice. You're nothing but a pain in my after burners!"

**You thought you were there to guide me**

**You were only in my way**

**You're wrong if you think that I'll be just like you**

**You thought you were there to guide me**

**You were only in my way**

**You're wrong if you think that I'll be just like you**

Starscream narrowed his optics to slits of reddening fury. "So tell me, what do you plan to do?" he rasped.

Terrorsaur smirked. "I plan to do you a favor and finally end your miserable life."

"We shall see about that. Rragh!"

The fight began. Blows were exchanged, insults were tossed, dodges were dodged, slashes were slashed. After several minutes, both fliers were cut, dented, and bleeding. They were well matched. The Maximals and Waspinator were growing anxious. They all knew it wouldn't be long until they had to revert to their beast modes. Then what would happen?

**I could be cold**

At last, Terrorsaur managed to throw Starscream back onto the ground. They held their weapons at one another, neither daring to cross the line. Starscream knew Terrorsaur had the advantage. He crawled backwards along the ground, keeping away from the sharp point of the red mech's blade. In an attempt to save himself, he started talking.

**I could be ruthless**

"Terrorsaur, my friend," he began, his voice wavering slightly. "We've been impetuous. Surely we could work something out?"

**You know I could be just like you**

**I could be weak**

**I could be senseless**

**You know I could be just like you**

Terrorsaur was almost inclined to agree. I mean, he _was_ his ancestor. However, he immediately knew his answer when the eagled spotted Blackarachnia accompanied with Starfeather (when did she get here?) up on a tall rock formation.

"Blackarachnia, Starfeather! Disable him and we may still triumph!" the ex-Seeker called and quickly added, "Together!"

"Are all your dreams in technicolor?" the she-spider retorted sweetly and aimed her gun. Starfeather did likewise. Starscream looked behind him to see a small formation of energon crystals. He was then overwhelmed with sporadic surges.

"You've betrayed me!" he cried.

**You thought you were standing beside me**

**You were only in my way**

**You're wrong if you think that I'll be just like you**

The raven shrugged innocently. "We did learn from the master," she said matter of factly. The then femmes shot in unison.

**You thought you were there to guide me**

**You were only in my way**

**You're wrong if you think that I'll be just like you**

**You thought you were there to guide me**

**You were only in my way**

**You're wrong if you think that I'll be just like you**

Terrorsaur then turned to the eagle. "Bye-bye Screamer," he said before transforming and flapping up out of range of the blast. The Maximals and Waspinator did the same. Starscream lived up to his name right up until the missiles impacted. Then, another scream could be heard but it soon faded with the dust and debris.

As the Maximals were leaving the area, Optimus turned to look at Terrorsaur. If the pterodactyl hadn't glanced back to see if the Maximals were indeed leaving, he would not have noticed the ape. Their gazes locked and Optimus nodded in approval. Terrorsaur was confused but found himself nodding back. When the Maximals were out of sight, he shook his head at himself. _I need a nice, long recharge after this,_ he thought.

Starfeather, however, was examining the remains of Starscream's- ...the protoform's body. She found the head and the face looked nothing like it did when the ex-Seeker had been possessing it. It was someone else's face now. Agony and confusion was written all over his features, optics dark and lifeless. The raven caressed his stiff cheek with her wing tip and moved to close the optic shutters and mouth so he merely appeared to be sleeping.

She didn't even know this mech or anything at all. She felt terrible for agreeing with Blackarachnia to fire. "She lied to me... she said you would survive..." Hot tears of anger threatened to fall but Starfeather blinked them back gazed down upon the face. "I'm sorry," she whispered and raised her head to face the sky. "Forgive me..."

**On my own**

**'Cause I can't take living with you**

**I'm alone**

**So I won't turn out like you want me to**

The sound of a quick vibration of insect wings and the feeling of a claw on her shoulder pulled her away from her mourning. Terrorsaur and Waspinator were waiting for her. "Let's go back to base," Terrorsaur said.

**You thought you were standing beside me**

**You were only in my way**

**You're wrong if you think that I'll be just like you**

**You thought you were there to guide me**

**You were only in my way**

**You're wrong if you think that I'll be just like you**

**You thought you were there to guide me**

**You were only in my way**

**You're wrong if you think that I'll be just like you**

Starfeather nodded and slowly followed them inside.

**I could be mean**

**I could be angry**

**You know I could be just like you**

-x-

He would come back. Even if it took another cycle of countless eons, he would come back and be avenged on them all! Especially Blackarachnia, Terrorsaur and Starfeather.

**AN:** You'll find out more about this Bluesprite later.

Now, I would like to note something. I noticed that in this episode, Optimus punched first Terrorsaur near the beginning of the episode then Starscream near the end in the exact same manner. Weird, huh? Just thought I'd say.

Song: **Just Like You** by _Three Days Grace_


	27. Life's Little Games

**#27 - Life's Little Games**

Cheetor, in his beast form, let out a low growl as he paced in his quarters. The battle was still fresh in his mind and the fur stood rigid on his neck and shoulders. "Potential mate," he spat. "Terrorsaur? A potential mate for _Starfeather_? Yeah right!"

He needed to vent some of his anger or he felt like he might just explode. Randomly selecting a target, he pounced at a rock apart of a small collection of his and clawed it. The sound of his claws screeching against the rough surface was dreadful and the cheetah hissed with satisfaction. He swatted the stone away and it clattered across the floor and banged into the wall. He snorted at it and turned away to look at himself in the reflection on his door.

"If that mutant bat thinks that he is better for her than me, then... then Megatron plays with a rubber duck!" He glared at himself before sighing in exhaustion, neck fur relaxing, and curling up on his bed. He muttered darkly. "I need to get to her before Terrorsaur gets any ideas. She's not safe with the Predacons. Why can't she see that?"

-x-

Megatron had watched the entire attack from his perch on the command chair in the main control room. He had gotten suspicious when he noticed Waspinator and Terrorsaur exit the base. They didn't get so much as ten feet before the Maximals came out of nowhere and over powered them. He ordered Scorponok to follow them with one of his Cyber bees. What he witnessed was... informative, to say the least.

Now, as the injured were in C.R. tanks, Megatron sat alone in his personal quarters in his own C.R. tank/hot tub. His rubber ducky bobbed contentedly in front of him and he watched it fondly, though he thought on other things. The fliers' threat seemed to become more imposing to his position. With their newfound connection, it would be all the easier for them to mount a rebellion.

Now, he genuinely looked to his duck. "I must keep better tabs on them from now on, _yes_." He patted his ducky on the head and it rocked up and down as if nodding in agreement.

-x-

Terrorsaur exhaled out his nose as he laid on his back on his recharge berth in his quarters. Alone. It had been weeks since Starfeather had agreed to sleep with him but that wasn't exactly what was at the front of his mind. He was contemplating the fight that happened that day, all that was said.

_And not only do you want to lead the Predacons, but do you also desire no competition for your potential mate; Starfeather?_

Potential mate? Did Starscream _really_ mean that? Come on, like he needed that kind of situation on top of everything else Megatron threw at him to chew on. From what he understood and had seen, bond mates did nothing for you except make demands and argue with every decision you tired to make. Not only that, but then there was the responsibility of sparklings. Not that he had anything against kids, he just wasn't sure he wanted children that he had to help raise. Who knew what they would turn out like or end up doing... like he had done.

Terrorsaur shook the thought away and frowned at the dull gray ceiling before rolling over and glaring at the wall across from him. Starfeather had told him that her parents had been the best she knew of. She could ask or tell her mom anything and she and her dad had gone and done all kinds of things together on weekends. The red mech wished his creators had been like that instead of what they became as he grew to a youngling.

That's why he had run away. To find a better life than what his parents could offer.

Then it clicked. "No wonder they started fighting so much before I left." It must have had something to do with Waspinator...

_-Flashback-_

"Hey Rosejet?"

He growled quietly. He hated that name. It was a femme's name. He wished he was old enough to change it or at least get a new paint job so his creators would change it for him. Then again, his mom might just have him repainted red again. "What?" he muttered from where he lay on the top bunk.

"I heard mom and dad fighting again."

"So what, Bluesprite? They always fight. Go to sleep." Before he could close his optic shutters and ignore anything else his sister said, her pale face was in front of his and her green optics glowered at him in the dark of their bedroom.

"This fight was different," Bluesprite hissed. "They weren't arguing over dad's drinking or mom's rituals and stuff. Dad was talking about getting rid of something but mom said no and then they started yelling."

Rosejet rolled his optics. "They're probably just talking about those stupid statues and stuff mom keeps all over the place. You know she's superstitious and dad just thinks it's a bunch of frag."

The blue Seeker gasped at the curse word. "Don't say that!" she whispered. "Dad might hear!"

"So what? He says it, why can't I?" the red Seeker reasoned.

His sister struggled for an answer, sucking on her upper lip. "Mmm..."

"Forget it, okay?" He shoved her back which sent her into a backwards summersault. The little femme landed with a thunk on her face on the hard, metal floor. Dizzily lifting her head up, she shook away the stars clouding her vision and glared at her brother before a huge grin broke on her face.

"I wanna do that again," she pleaded and Rosejet sighed.

"No." He was sick of all this. He was sick of his parents and sick of his screw-loose sister and sick of his classmates at school and sick of his whole, slagging _life_. He had no idea what he was going to do but he certainly wasn't going to stay in this house another day.

He was going to leave.

Tonight.

_-End Flashback-_

Terrorsaur almost felt bad for leaving just like that, no goodbye of any kind. He pushed away the feeling and shifted a little bit until more comfortable. His mother would have hand-cuffed him to Bluesprite or even herself or something overly drastic and his father would have thrown a fit. He probably did when they found out he was gone the next morning. Bluesprite probably wouldn't stop searching for him until the day she died. He wondered how she was doing. He wondered what would have happened if he stayed. Would he still have ended up joining Megatron's tiny rebellion? Would Waspinator have come?

…would he still have ended up meeting Starfeather?

It didn't matter. What was done is done and there was no going back. Eventually, Terrorsaur yielded to his exhausted body's pleas for rest.

-x-

Now that the initial shock was over, Starfeather had time to think. Number one, she had over heard the things said at the confrontation (at least the point where Waspinator said that he and Terrorsaur were brothers) and saw the struggle. There were so many things she had learned about her wing mates that day. Now, she wanted a fuller story. Not only that, but she was going to try what Optimus suggested about her asking if Waspinator and Terrorsaur would come with her to the Maximals. She highly doubted that they would agree but maybe if she worded it right, they would.

Then she felt a pang of guilt for what she was going to do. After all, who was she to try and change their minds for them? She had joined the Maximals because she had thought it was the best thing for her to do at the time. That wouldn't mean her wing mates would agree with her.

One thing she was thankful for through this whole experience, her secret was still safe.

Over the next few days, no one said much to each other. It was the end of a normal day of monitor duty, patrols and maintenance rounds. The fliers' shifts were done for the day so they said good night and went to their rooms... well, most of them.

Terrorsaur had backed Starfeather into the wall beside her door. He had apparently gotten ideas. "Don't tell me you plan on sleeping by yourself again tonight," he crooned.

Starfeather rolled her optics. "You really don't know when to give up, do you?"

He cocked a brow at her. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. Now, may I stand on my own, please?"

"But don't you like this?"

"So many questions..." she sighed. "Well, maybe if we could stand and face each other like normal people, I might be more inclined to listen." She then flickered her optics shutters and smiled cheekily.

_Not again,_ he groaned inwardly. He reluctantly backed away and she stepped away from the wall and brushed herself off.

"Thank you," she said. "Okay... fine. I'm too tired to argue."

Terrorsaur grinned. "Good, I've been getting lonely."

"I'm sure you have," Starfeather mumbled flatly as the pterodactyl took her to his side. It wasn't that she didn't want to sleep with him or even the way he was going about it, but that she _still_ hadn't gotten back at him for dragging her out of bed... two weeks ago. So, she really wanted to prank him and this was the best excuse she had.

As they walked, she decided on one of her many little ideas. She smiled smugly as they went into his room. Poor Terrorsaur had no clue to what he would wake to find in the morning...

But that was in five hours. Right now, I think you will find their conversation interesting.

The lights went off and the pair lay down. Starfeather first tried to get comfortable beside Terrorsaur but he positioned her to lie on his chest. She sighed. "I let you get away with too much," she murmured teasingly.

He chuckled low. "You manipulate me."

She made a small raspberry noise. "Whatever. Anyway, I was wondering."

"What?"

"Well," she started, shifting a little to get settled. "I was wondering when you learned how to use a sword. Did Dinobot teach you before he left or something?"

Terrorsaur shook his head. "No... but we did go to the same class at the training school we went to. He moved on to more advanced classes and I..." He went silent.

Starfeather glanced at his frustrated face. "Did you fail or something?"

"No... I finished the classes I was taking then dropped out," he answered quietly.

"Oh... Why did you drop out?" she asked gently, tying not to criticize him, not that she would. What ever reason, it was in the past and she wasn't there and he was different now.

"I met someone that I thought could offer me a better chance to get what I wanted."

"Megatron?"

"No. I met Megatron years after that. I can't tell you his name."

Starfeather was confused. "Why not?"

"Because..." Terrorsaur wanted to get off the subject. "Why don't you tell me more about your past?" he asked quickly as if to cover up what he had said before. She was a little perplexed but chose to let him have his privacy. He would tell her when he was ready.

"Okay," She thought for a second. _I really hate it when my mind goes blank like this... _"Well, I've told you almost everything that's interesting already."

He put his arms around her. "You haven't told me your real name."

"Because I don't think I should," she said a bit defensively. "I have a bad feeling about it, like it's important some how."

"Oh come on, inky feathers," he purred, nuzzling her cheek. "What ever you say stays in this room."

"Alright... Emily. My name was Emily," she grudgingly admitted. Her name suddenly sounded alien to her. It was like the name of a close friend someone told her about that she had long ago and didn't remember.

"Emily..." he tried out the name and gave her a once over, remembering what she used to look like. "Was that a common name?"

She shrugged as best she could. "I guess." A rather short pause and she spoke again. "Did you really mean all that you said to Starscream? About not wanting to be like him anymore?"

He growled playfully. "What kind of a question is that? Of course I don't want to be like him. Ever since he spat at you like you were a pile of slag, I knew I wanted nothing more to do with him. Especially after the way he treated us." By 'us', the raven knew he was referring to his younger brother, Waspinator. She giggled.

"I still can't get over the fact that you and Waspy are brothers." She smiled affectionately. "It's rather cute really."

The red mech snorted. "I never would have guessed."

"What were your parents like? You never told me about them."

There was a darn good reason why. It was such a simple question but one that he did not want to answer. He was ashamed of the way they compared to Starfeather's family. Yet, there was so much that she told him and hardly nothing he shared with her. Maybe if he told her, he would feel better. She had told him that if you keep things bottled inside, it just makes you miserable all the time. That could be why she was pretty much happy all the time when things were quiet with the Maximals and Megatron was leaving her alone.

"Well..." Terrorsaur began, searching for the right words. "I'll start by saying that they were nothing like your parents... My father was a drinker and mom was ditzy and a little superstitious. I couldn't stand it when she would always fuss over me." He then imitated a feminine voice which sounded dreadful with his own already scratchy tone. "Wash behind your audios, brush your dental plates or they'll rot right out of your head, don't get your feet wet or you'll catch a virus."

Starfeather couldn't help but laugh. "She just cared about you, that's all. My mom told me a lot of the same things too when I was younger."

"At least you were the oldest," he retorted, more humorously than heatedly.

She gently stabbed him with her elbow and remembered something he had said the day of the fight. "Who is Bluesprite?"

She thought she saw him shudder at the name. "My insane twin sister."

"You have a sister too? Wait, you're a twin? Man, you need to tell me more of this stuff!"

He shook his head, though he did feel a little better now that he had told someone. "Multiples run in my family... We should get some recharge before duties start at dawn."

This was her last chance. First she hummed in agreement, allowing silence for a while. "Screechy?"

"Yeah?"

She hesitated. "Have you ever... have you ever thought about, maybe... just as a possibility but..."

He squeezed her a little. "Come on, spit it out kid or risk being kicked outa bed." He was only joking, she knew. Maybe this would make things easier.

"Well then, under threat of torture... Have you ever, even just once, considered maybe... joining the Maximals?" She tried to look innocent, like it was just a question. She didn't know whether to be relieved or off-set by his reaction.

Terrorsaur stared at her, like she said something nice about Blackarachnia or Megatron but shrugged it off. "Once or twice," he admitted.

Starfeather was more hopeful now. "Really? What about Waspinator?"

"I don't know," he mumbled passively. "Why're you asking?"

"Well... I've been thinking about it a lot lately," she said cautiously. "I was just asking because I... I wanted to know what you think."

"Well _I_ think I'm happy right here," he rumbled, pulling her closer so that their cheeks brushed. "We don't need no stupid Maximals."

She giggled half-heartedly. "But it certainly would be nice not to have Megatron looming over our heads all the time."

"That I can agree with." He nuzzled his cheek against hers. "You know what else I can agree with, right?"

"A good-night kiss?"

"Maybe."

"Okay," Starfeather rolled over onto her stomach, still on top of Terrorsaur's chest plate and his arms still around her. She smirked back at him before planting her lips on his own and they dimmed their optics on reflex. After a moment, she could feel him gently pleading for permission to access her mouth. She refused him at first but then figured that a little glossa action would be fun.

They took turns for several minutes, all the while growing sleepy. Starfeather finally had enough and slumped down, her head resting above his spark chamber. Her optic shutters drooped as she listened to the calming, rhythmic beat of his spark. "Good night..." she said groggily.

Ebony fingers stroked the equally dark feathers on the side of her helm. "Rest well... shinning star." Terrorsaur breathed.

Starfeather exhaled deeply and all went dark.

-x-

The pair recharged peacefully. The only sounds in the room were the soft whir of air from the ventilation system and snores from the mech. Suddenly, aqua green optics opened and the femme looked down at her bed partner, smiling mischievously. This was going to be fun.

Carefully and slowly, Starfeather reached for her subspace, all the while keeping an eye on Terrorsaur's face. She slithered her hand inside and felt around other objects for what she was looking for. She froze when Terrorsaur sucked in a breath of air and rolled onto his side, taking her with him. He sighed contentedly and was still.

Starfeather was now pressed against his body and the wall, her arm wedged behind her back. She swallowed. This was going to be trickier than she first thought. Very gradually, she continued to search for what she wanted. At last, she grasped it and painfully brought it out. It was a black Sharpie marker.

Smirking in premature triumph, she took the lid off with her teeth and set about gently tracing a mustache on his face, a nice curly one. It was so hard to keep from succumbing to a laughing fit, she had to bite down on her lower lip hard, marker cap beneath her tongue, and pinch her nose with her other hand. When he twitched, she would stop for several moments until sure that he wasn't waking up.

She finally finished 'decorating' and put the lid back on and put the marker away. She made sure not to look at Terrorsaur's face and snuggled more comfortably against him. She chuckled to herself. _Revenge is sweet._

-x-

The raven was awoken by a snort and a loud yawn. _Ugh... dawn already? _Terrorsaur stretched, allowing her to push herself up. She looked at him and was confused for a second before it all came back to her and she leaned on her elbow. "Good morning, Screechy," she said, her voice practically dripping with smugness.

He met her optics. "Frisky already, are we?" he asked, moving toward her.

"No," She ducked to avoid his hungry lips. "It's just that you got a little something right there." She pointed to a place on her own upper lip. "I'd go and _shave_ it off if I were you, y'know, before the others get up and see you." She was dying, trying to keep her voice level and not laugh.

The pterodactyl looked at her strangely but shook it off and got up, leaving her on the bed. As soon as the door hissed shut, Starfeather broke down. She laughed until tears trickled down the sides of face and her cheeks and stomach hurt. She coughed a few time, caught her breath, and left the room herself.

Passing the cleaning halls as she walked through the corridors toward the cafeteria/lounge room, she heard a satisfying screech of horror and Waspinator and Scorponok beside themselves with hysterics.

"This is NOT FUNNY!" she heard Terrorsaur roar.

"Oh yes it is," she murmured to herself then sighed. "If only I could've seen the look on his face..." A couple of mental pictures stuck in her mind and sniggered all the way to her destination until she had an after thought. _I hope he'll forgive me for this..._


	28. Call of the Wild Part 1: Night Wish

**#28 - Call of the Wild **

**Part 1: Night Wish**

Airazor giggled. "You actually drew a mustache on Terrorsaur's face?"

Starfeather nodded. "Yup, and Waspy and Scorponok sure got a good laugh out of it. Poor guy; he wouldn't leave his room for the rest of day. Megatron got fed up by nightfall and had Tarantulas hack the door locks to get him out. That's why he wasn't around when Inferno landed. Megatron punished him..." The raven paused painfully for a moment. "And that's also why I wasn't there, because I admitted to starting it and we were punished by solitary confinement for the day, no matter the circumstances."

"I have a feeling that he hasn't forgiven you yet."

The other shrugged. "He'll get over it," _I hope,_ she added silently to herself. "So, how has Tigatron been? I heard he got dinged up pretty bad."

The two birds were gliding along the boarders of the territories, just sharing small-talk about happenings at the bases and with their comrades. It had been two days since the arrival of Inferno, the latest addition to the Predacon ranks. Things were just starting to quiet down since then.

"Oh, he's much better. I saw him this morning," Airazor smiled. "He... he asked me if I would join him for dawn patrols."

"Wow, did you say yes?" Starfeather asked eagerly.

The falcon's smile turned crooked. "Well, yes."

The other nudged her. "Well then, I hope you two have fun," she giggled.

Before Airazor could reply, Starfeather's comm. link came on. _"Starfeather, blast it, where are you!"_

Immediately, both femmes stopped and transformed, hovering in midair. "I'm on boarder patrol, just like you ordered sir. Got a problem with it?" Starfeather said testily.

The falcon was shocked at how snippy her friend was acting toward Megatron. Wouldn't she be punished for speaking to him like that?

A growl was heard from the other end. _"I have a problem with how long it is taking you, yes."_

"Oh, well, I just... My mind wandered is all. It's not like I've run into any Maximals or anything." The two femmes exchanged glances.

_"Well stop daydreaming and meet us at the boulders behind the Maximal base, now."_

"What? What are we- Oh, yeah..." Airazor stared at Starfeather. The raven smiled apologetically (she had sincerely forgotten about the attack Megatron was planning for that night) and answered her commander. "Right away sir. Starfeather: out." She cut the connection before Megatron could say any more.

"Why didn't you tell us he was planning an attack tonight?" Airazor demanded.

The other raised her hands in self defense. "Hey, I was going to but, I kinda... forgot. At least you know now and now we can warn Optimus."

The falcon looked away and nodded. She then looked back at her. "I'm worried about you."

Starfeather rolled her optics in slight annoyance. "Don't tell me. You, and just about everyone else, thinks that me playing Predacon is going too far in my head and that I need to get out of there."

By the hurt look on Airazor's face, the raven wished she hadn't been so quick to mouth off her frustrations about those closest to her, wanting her to leave her best friends. "I'm sorry, I'm just tired of everyone thinking they know what's best for me. I can take care of myself."

Airazor continued to give Starfeather a hard look, not at all convinced. "We'd better get going. I'll fly slower so you can get there first so it doesn't look suspicious."

Starfeather nodded. "Alright." They both reverted back to their beast forms. The raven took the lead with the other falling behind. She could soon hear Airazor talking to Optimus and frowned. "Stupid!" she hissed at herself. "How could I forget something like that! Some spy I am..."

She trailed off with that last statement, contemplating the other meanings behind it. Not only were her efforts toward the Maximals not really helping at all, she was betraying them by being with Terrorsaur. Her shoulders lost their tension as she flew on. She couldn't go on like this. Like Optimus had told her before, she had to choose which side she would be fully loyal to. Now she wasn't so sure it would be the Maximals...

-x-

Waspinator looked from Terrorsaur, stiffly steaming at one end of the space behind their stone hiding place, to Megatron on the other side, pretending the other didn't even exist for the time being. He sighed. His brother hadn't said a word to him or Starfeather since he came out of solitary confinement. _What Bird-bot thinking?_

He didn't want them to split up. He had seen how happy they were together. He wanted Terrorsaur to be happy. If he was happy, Waspinator was happy. Same goes for Starfeather.

Speaking of whom, she was now circling down toward them. After landing in the center of the clearing between the boulders, she glanced Terrorsaur's way. He met her gaze and snorted, looking away to glare holes into the ground before his feet. The raven sighed forlornly and all waited to receive final orders from their leader.

"Predacons; attention," Megatron said. All stood straight and stiff. "Tarantulas, Scorponok, you will attack the forward side of the ship. Starfeather, Inferno, you will take the western side. Blackarachnia, you will take the eastern side. I shall be between you and Scorponok and Tarantulas's location." He looked to Terrorsaur and Waspinator. "You two will circle above, out of range, until my signal. You know what to look for."

All saluted or nodded in acknowledgement and split up toward their assigned locations. Starfeather flew low to the ground, following Inferno as he walked briskly. She had only known him for two days and she didn't think much of him. He wasn't much for conversation and was overly protective of Megatron. However, for being even more loyal than Scorponok, there was only one order that he would not follow.

She remembered the first time when she heard what the ant referred to Megatron as. That was the second time she had laughed that hard that week. But now, she had to focus. Reaching their assigned locations, they transformed and waited.

-x-

_A cheetah was prowling in the forest beyond the Maximal ship. He gazed at it briefly before his attention was called by the crowing of a large raven, as black as the night sky, only visible because of the two full moons. He growled low in his throat with wanting. His eyes followed the raven as it circled toward the ground, landing gracefully in the space between the base and the tree line._

_The two stared each other down. Neither made a noise. The raven then spread her wings, her body outlined with silver of the moons, and cawed up to the sky. Her calls gradually turned ragged as the bird's body began to mutate. Feathered wings morphed to clawed leathery bat like wings. The beak grew longer and sharper, lined with needle sharp teeth. A pointed crest grew from the back of the head and the tail feathers shriveled away and left nothing but a short, serpentine like tail._

_The cheetah's eyes widened and the fur on his shoulders stood on end. He bared his fangs when the pterodactyl turned his sights on him. The winged reptile shrieked and, flailing his wings, lunged at the cheetah. The cat turned and fled into the forest, pterodactyl in hot pursuit._

_The cheetah would glance over his shoulder every now and again but each time, his sight was met with the larger and closer outline of his pursuer, gliding easily through the trees. He could hear energon roaring in his ears as his legs took him as fast as they could go, but it wasn't fast enough. _

_Terrorsaur laughed maliciously as he lowered and latched onto his scruff and flew higher. Cheetor caterwauled and flailed wildly in an attempt to rip himself free. Terrorsaur merely scoffed at the futile attempt. He then lowered his beak and whispered in Cheetor's ear, "She's mine." Then let go._

_His eyes widened even farther as he plummeted. Looking down, the ground split to reveal an oozing river of lava, fire licking at the banks and lighting the forest ablaze. Cheetor shrieked as the certainness of death clutched him like a giant claw, Terrorsaur's laughter and an alarm ringing in his ears. He could feel the heat scorching his pelt and squeezed his eyes shut yet was blinded by a flashing red light._

"NO!"

Cheetor jumped awake, gasping for breath. He glanced rapidly around his room to make sure he was really awake and alive. "No... no... Starfeather." Finally, he realized that the red light was still flashing and the alarm was still blaring. He leaped to his feet and dashed out of his room and down the halls to the bridge as tremors vibrated the ship.

-x-

Starfeather watched as Dinobot and Cheetor exited the base and charged toward Tarantulas and Scorponok. She withheld her fire for a moment to watch. Inferno didn't seem to notice, continuing his shots at the hull. She could sense the rising tension in him and knew he was growing jealous. She wondered why some guys, and girls for that matter, just couldn't let go. She had learned to and, though it stung her heart sharply at first, the pain grew numb and she could live without if she put her mind to it. If this kept up, she would have to talk privately with him and try to let him down gently.

Right now, she had a job to do. The arachnids had fallen and Megatron had shot the signal. She looked up and, switching to inferred vision, could see her wing mates spiraling down. They transformed to their robotic forms before landing. Pushing back some debris, Waspinator reached for the object that they came for.

Megatron called a retreat just as Optimus appeared from the roof hatch. He tried to fend them off, knocking the wasp off balance but Terrorsaur was quick to shoot back. Optimus fell back as Terrorsaur helped Waspinator to his feet and up into the night sky. Of course, the Maximal leader gave chase and it was at that moment, Airazor came into range. Transforming to her robot form, she swooped to meet them. The pterodactyl's optics flashed with smoldering fury. He hated that blasted falcon to the Pit and wouldn't let what she had done to him go freely. Until the Beast Wars were over or until he died trying (he hoped that wouldn't be the case), he would scrap her like she had scraped him.

She opened fire and they swerved, effectively avoiding Primal's lasers as well. All four might have crashed together if Megatron had not intervened. Normally, he would not have but since Waspinator carried precious cargo, he wanted to personally oversee its deliverance to the base.

Starfeather watched helplessly as Optimus fell and emitted a tiny cry of dismay when Terrorsaur, taking advantage of Airazor's distraction, nicked her good on the shoulder. However, she kept strong and grabbed Optimus's foot just inches before he hit ground. The raven silently took a deep breath before following her comrade's examples, shifting to beast form, and flying after her wing mates.

Cheetor followed her with his optics as she left with the Predacons, his grip on his blaster tightening. He forced his personal feelings down to assist Dinobot in helping Optimus and Airazor into the base. Once inside and after putting Airazor in a C.R. chamber, Rhinox told everyone the bad news... just as their systems began to short circuit. They shifted to their beast forms and Rhinox continued.

"The Predacons stole our rectifier coil. Without it, we are susceptible to the energon radiation fields, even inside the base." He explained. "We'll have to remain in beast mode until we can get it back."

"Eh, c'mon," Rattrap started. "I could sneak in the Pred base an' get it, no problem."

Optimus shook his head. "No, they'll be expecting that. We'll have to wait at least a few days until they start getting cocky before we try to retaliate."

Cheetor extended a paw to throw his two cents worth in. "Couldn't we just ask Starfeather to bring it back tomorrow night and one of us intercept her?" He knew that either he or Dinobot would be sent out for this task since he and the raptor could move fairly quickly with a load. He would offer every argument he could think of so that he could go. He was disappointed at Optimus's answer.

"Negative. If Starfeather disappeared at the same time the rectifier coil did, Megatron might get suspicious."

Dinobot softly snarled as he inhaled. "So what do you propose we do?"

The Maximal leader sighed as if exhausted by the prospect of the solution. "Wait."

-x-

Starfeather leaned against the wall by the door to Terrorsaur's room, her arms hugging her chest. Waspinator sat by her feet, tracing the grate design in the floor and buzzing to himself. When the raven sighed, he looked up at her. "Bird-bot okay?" he asked.

She sighed again, not meeting his gaze. "I'm fine."

"What Bird-bot do if Terrorsaur not forgive her?"

She had been wondering the exact same thing. What would she do if he refused to forgive her? The last time this sort of thing happened, she had to near literally run him down and anything but beg on her knees. He seemed more steamed about this than her simply laughing at something that he didn't want to admit that was true. She knew that he had always been touchy about his appearance (how he managed to buff his armor every morning within five minutes, she would never know), but this was ridiculous. All it would take to get the marker off was to rub at it for several minutes with the normal cleaning solution in the shower cubicles. She had done it to herself to make sure it would come off (not her own face, but still). He was over reacting to her stupid little joke and frustration took the place of her anxiety.

Anyway, what would she do if he would not forgive her? Would that be the end of their relationship? If so, how could she bare to look at him everyday? She could handle when her first boyfriend had left because he had to move and all she had were some pictures of him and she had shoved those in a drawer and forgot about them. She couldn't let Terrorsaur go like that. He was someone special. It felt so right to be with him.

"I..." she started to find words to answer the wasp's question until they both picked up the sound of foot steps coming down the hall toward them. Waspinator stood up and Starfeather moved away from the wall, allowing her arms to fall to her sides. There he came in the dim light of the _Darkside's_ passageways, expecting to enter his quarters without distraction. Those hopes were dashed when he saw them.

"What do you want?" Terrorsaur rasped.

This wasn't going well already. Starfeather stepped forward. "Waspy and I want to apologize. I never meant for what I did to get that far out of hand."

He snorted. "You never do, yet it always does," he retorted darkly.

She lost her quiet, pleading domineer, the frozen fangs of his words biting her heart. "And _who's_ fault is that?" she demanded. "_You_ were the one who locked himself in his room to stew about his dented pride."

"_You_ were the one who started it!" he snapped back, taking a threatening step toward her.

She glared back up at him, aqua green optics alight with fury. "It was just a silly prank! I scribbled on myself to make sure it would come off!"

He faltered, but only for a second. "If you hadn't done it, none of that would have happened!"

"Well if you hadn't dragged me outa bed that one morning, I wouldn't have done it!"

Terrorsaur stared at her. "You mean to tell me that _that's_ your lame excuse for drawing on my face like a piece of scrap paper? I was just playing with you!"

"Oh, _now_ look who's talking," the raven commented dryly. "Look, I was just messing with you, okay? I didn't over react then so you don't have an excuse to either."

"You drew a _mustache on my __**face**_!"

"And it _came __**off**_ so there's no more need to-!"

"**Zzzztop!**"

The two were stunned into silence, too surprised by the sudden outburst to say any more. The wasp, who had been witnessing the entire argument and growing fearful of the outcome, finally butted in to stop it.

"Terrorsaur and Bird-bot need to zztop fighting. Whole bazze can hear them. But that not Wazpinator'z point. Terrorsaur and Bird-bot are love birdz, friendzz, need to forgive and forget."

Had Waspy really just said that? The two looked at him and back at each other several times as if trying to make certain that what he had said really came from him. But, just as suddenly as the surprise came, it wore off and was replaced by stubbornness.

"I'm going to sleep." No sooner said than Terrorsaur shoved past Starfeather and Waspinator, the door to his quarters hissing shut behind him. In desperation, Starfeather threw herself at the door to try and keep it open but it was no use.

"Wait!" she screamed as she slammed into the door just milliseconds after it closed. "Please... I said I was sorry!" She weakly pounded on the door with her fist, tears welling in her optics. She squeezed them shut. "I didn't mean to hurt you like that... I didn't know I would hurt you..." A sob choked her next words. She leaned against the door, suddenly feeling weak. A green, clawed hand on her shoulder coaxed her to continue. "I was... just having some fun, like you did with me... Please, open the door Terrorsaur. I..." Her voice lowered to a hoarse whisper as the tears fell. "I love you..."

-x-

He could hear perfectly well. He was leaning back against the door, glaring between his feet. His fists tightened as he listened to her voice, broken by sorrow, force out every word. He wanted to open the door, he wanted to take her in his arms and make her feel better, he wanted to but his body would not listen. It was like two beings in his mind were pushing and pulling for him to do what they said.

_Go on and sit there while her spark shatters, what do you care?_ One voice spat.

_You care that she will not be with you anymore. She makes you happy._ The other voice soothed.

_So what? You've been happy with other femmes back on Cybertron and none of them matter a slag heap to you! Why should this one?_

_She is different, she returns your affections. She said she was sorry and you did over react._

_You did not! What else would you have done to save your dignity?_

_You could have laughed too and gone on with the day. After all, it was funny._

_It was not!_

The voices in his head were so loud in his audios that he almost missed the last words she choked out. "I love you..."

He was speechless. Starfeather had never said that before. No one had ever told him that before except his family and that had been hundreds of stellarcycles ago. What did she mean by 'love'? Did she just say that to get him to listen? Did she mean it?

_Of course she means it._ That second voice whispered.

_No she doesn't, she just wants you to let her in and take advantage of you again!_ The nasty voice hissed.

_If you don't do something, you might lose her._

_So what? There are always other femmes._

_None like her._

_Sure there are, now get some sleep._

_How can you sleep knowing you've hurt her more than Megatron ever could?_

The dark voice didn't answer. Terrorsaur had no answer either. It was a perfectly reasonable argument. Could he really hurt her more than Megatron? How? He wasn't even in physical contact with her...

His thoughts were cut off when he heard the sound of rapidly fleeing footsteps. He also heard Waspinator shout, "Bird-bot!"

Terrorsaur sighed. Now he'd done it. Last time something like this had happened, he had forgiven her. But last time, it hadn't been that bad. He was laughed at all the time. It had been easy to forgive her, but this...

He heard Waspinator following after Starfeather. He shook his head and got up off the floor. Starfeather was in a mood right now and usually didn't want anyone around so he decided to get hold of her tomorrow morning... if she would listen.

-x-

Unfortunately, Starfeather had not retreated to her quarters. She kept on going, not looking back, not slowing down. She heard Waspinator call out and knew he was following her. Her spark ached knowing what she was doing to him, but if Terrorsaur would not forgive her... she didn't see much point in staying any longer.

Tears of betrayal ran down her silvery face like tiny rivers, falling to the floor, staining the deck plates like mechfluid. Still she fled onward to the exit, only stopping to punch in her key code to open the hatch. That was all the distraction the wasp needed. He lunged and knocked them both to the floor. He locked his arms around her as she struggled to break free.

"Let me go, Waspy!"

"No! Terrorsaur come around, Bird-bot zzee!"

Starfeather kneed him as hard as she could. He let go, crumpling to a ball on the ground. She wanted to kick herself for doing such a thing to her friend but it had to be done. She stood and looked down him with sorrow reflecting in her moist optics. "Then he'll have to come to me."

The green mech looked up blurrily at her, his own compound optics misty. He said no more, merely nodding in understanding. She returned the nod then, glancing up to see Megatron tailed by Inferno, she transformed and flew out of the base and high into the midnight sky. The only thing to light her path were the two full moons and shining stars. Ignoring the angry shouts from below, she found an updraft and glided away into the night.

-x-

Waspinator staggered to his feet and stared blankly out the base exit, tears of his own pricking at the corners of his compound optics. His side wasn't the only thing that hurt. Starfeather left. Just like that. Gone. To the deeper reaches of the jungles and forests or to the Maximals, he didn't know. What he did know was that she wouldn't come back until his brother found her himself and forgave her.

With nothing else to do, and not really wanting to stay in case Megatron ordered him out to get her, he limped down the halls and silently entered his room.

-x-

She knew Inferno was following her. She forced her wings to flap faster, knowing that if the fire ant were to catch her, there would be no escape. Her spark and fuel tank were doing flip flops and her chest felt as if it would implode with the effort of her fuel pump. Even so, she flew on. She just had to make it to the waterfall...

Starfeather's air pumps raked air in and out through her open beak. She was just crossing the boarder now. Inferno was still following her, growing nearer. She could almost feel the heat of his flamethrowers on her tail feathers.

-x-

Rattrap snoozed in front of the monitor he was supposed to be watching. He was curled up in the chair since he couldn't lounge in his usual manner. He snored quietly as one then two blips appeared on the screen. Gradually, the sound of the repetitive beeping grinding on his nerves woke him.

"Eh, fer bootin' up cold..." he grumbled as he sat up, rubbing at his eyes to rid them of lingering sleepiness. He glared at the screen until he realized what the problem was. "Yo boss monkey, I think you'd better come see dis," the rat said through his comm. link.

There was a pause before Optimus replied. _"What is it Rattrap?"_

Bringing up a visual, his mouth was left open at the sight. "It... it looks like blender butt is chasin' inky feathers... and she's headed dis way."

-x-

"For the final time, I say! Stop in the name of the royalty!"

The raven didn't reply. She couldn't even if she wanted to. Her air pumps had dedicated themselves to rhythmically forcing air in and out. Her throat burned more and more with each breath. Her shoulders ached with each stroke of her wings. She wasn't even half way there and already she felt like she would plummet from the sky like a stone at any moment.

Using the last ounces of her strength, Starfeather pressed on. She had to make it, she had to.

Inferno continued to bellow at her, threatening her by waving his flamethrowers and firing warning shots, some of which had scorched her tail feathers, claws, back and wing tips. She had lost altitude and her hopes were falling with it. She would be caught, taken back to the Predacon base, punished severely, and gained nothing. Terrorsaur would still hold a grudge and she would have lost him forever.

Blackness crept into the edges of her vision. Alarms blared in her head to stop and rest, to drink something to help cool her overheating systems. She felt a headache coming on. Exhaustion started to take its toll on her. The terrain before her began to blur and swirl. She felt like she was going to vomit.

Suddenly, she could make out a growing dot in the distance. A familiar face was the last thing she saw. Calming darkness took her in its comforting embrace.

-x-

Optimus Primal watched helplessly as the raven fell limply from the air. He readied his foldout shoulder cannons, intent on sending Inferno crawling back to the Predacon base. The fire ant was more than happy to meet him head on, guns blazing. Literally. They shot, they swerved, they shot again.

"The royalty commands the bird's return to the base," Inferno announced and set his scope on him. "My queen would be most pleased if I were to bring your wreckage as well."

"Not tonight, Inferno." Optimus took aim with his wrist mounted blaster and, jetting to just the right angle, shot the other's thrusters to scrap. The fire ant fell and landed in a heap in the dirt. The Maximal leader lowered to where Starfeather had fallen. Transforming, he kneeled beside her and softly stroked her head.

He wondered why she had left now. What had caused her to leave? Why now? Had she tried to take the rectifier coil and been caught? A rustle in the bushes behind him drew his attention. He frowned deeply when a face peeked through the undergrowth. "You're supposed to be back at the base."

The cheetah returned the frown. Continuing in his rebelliousness, Cheetor transformed and gently took the large raven in his arms. "I'm going to carry her," he said. Optimus sighed but didn't try to stop him. Without another word, both Maximals made their way back to the _Axalon_.

_**My fall will be for you**_

_**My love will be in you**_

_**You were the one to cut me**_

_**So now**_

_**I'll bleed forever!**_

**AN:** Song: **Ghost Love Score** by _Nightwish_

No Shockbox, the song choice had nothing to do with your latest Beast Wars tribute (which is totally awesome by the way). X3


	29. Call of the Wild Part 2: Fire Flight

**#29 - Call of the Wild **

**Part 2: Fire Flight**

_**You decide**_

_**Who will you run to?**_

_**Wrong or right?**_

Megatron was most displeased and left questioning at the news Inferno brought back that night. Starfeather up and left and, more surprising, Optimus Primal came to the little bird's rescue? Why? He did have his theories but couldn't be certain. He would question his troops in the morning when they would be more agreeable. In the mean time, he sent the fire ant off to repair himself and get some rest.

By the next after noon, he wanted a little surprise for the Maximals. Give them time to think that they are safe and then, strike.

-x-

Tarantulas paced around in his lair, hissing to himself. "So, the bird has left the nest..." He cackled and turned to one of his tables neatly cluttered with test tubes, beakers, and other equipment. "Sadly, this changes nothing for my plans with her, _no_," he mocked Megatron's manner of speaking before succumbing to a fit of cackling. "Teeheehee, gyahahahahaa!"

-x-

"She's _gone_!" Terrorsaur repeated, roughly grabbing Waspinator's throat and lifting him up so that they were literally face to face. "What do you mean she's gone?"

The wasp flinched. "Exzzactly what Wazpinator zzaid," he stammered. "Bird-bot leave zzzo now Terrorsaur muzzt go find her or Bird-bot not come back."

Terrorsaur screeched in rage and threw Waspinator into the wall, overwhelmed by a feeling he couldn't distinguish other than a pain he had never felt before. This pain surged in his chest with every sparkbeat. He nearly stumbled backwards with the shock that was overtaking him. What was she thinking? What had he done?

"What's going on here?" Scorponok demanded as he came down the hallway the fliers were in. Waspinator buzzed nervously from where he sat on the floor and Terrorsaur glared at the scorpion, his optical lasers itching to activate and scorch a nice hole in his gray chest plate.

The red mech merely turned on his heel and stalked toward the command center to report for the day's duties. Waspinator helped himself up and shrugged at the Second in Command. He didn't want another fight to break out that might end up with someone dead. Terrorsaur was already peeved and he knew that his brother and Scorponok despised each other with a passion. Megatron avoided sending them out on patrols at the same time at all costs.

Once the scorpion was gone, Waspinator hung his head, wings and shoulders drooping. He couldn't take this. Everyone was grouchy and that probably wasn't going to change for a while... and he didn't want to be around to face it alone.

Mustering up what courage he possessed, Waspinator marched down the corridors.

-x-

Sight returned to her slowly. Dim lighted walls and a ceiling were all she could make out through her blurred vision. A scratchy groan escaped her when she rolled to her side, folding her wings closer around herself. Awareness of her surroundings gradually came to her. She was on a berth in a small room. Blinking away the haze, she looked up to see a cheetah watching her anxiously.

"Starfeather?"

Cheetor. If he was talking to her, then she had to be at the Maximal base. Her body went limp with relief. She'd made it without capture. "Hiya, Spots," she coughed.

"You don't sound so good," he commented.

Starfeather mustered up a smirk. "I feel like I tore my throat to shreds. Could I maybe have something or drink?"

"Sure," Cheetor grinned. "Can you walk or do you want a lift?"

She heard the hopefulness in his voice that she would say that she was too weak to walk on her own. In reality, she could have walked just fine on her own. Her feet did hurt but that was just an excuse. She could take a little more pain. If her test was going to work, she decided to oblige the cheetah's implied request.

"I'll take that lift," she answered. "Inferno really got me good."

Cheetor maneuvered beside the bed so Starfeather could get on easily. Quietly grunting with the effort, she hauled herself onto his back. It was like riding a skinny horse bareback and sideways. She felt a little awkward but shoved it aside. "Thanks."

"No problem," he shrugged, bumping her a little off balance. "Oops, sorry."

She shook her head to say it was alright. They headed out into the passageway. As he walked, Starfeather asked, "How long was I out?"

"Long time; about sixteen megacycles."

She felt her eyes widen. Sixteen hours. _Wow, I must really have been tired._ "How long were you sitting there?" she wondered.

"Since I set you there." He looked back her and grinned sheepishly.

She smiled thankfully at him. They continued on and outside the base. Cheetor picked his way cautiously down the canyon to a calmer portion of the river. The raven slid of his back, wincing at the screaming protests of her burnt claws. She limped to the edge of the lapping water. Her beak submerged into the icy liquid and she drank and drank until her stomach was filled. She withdrew her beak, gasping for air. Her throat felt much better.

"Jumping gyros, you sure were thirsty," Cheetor said with a _murrow_ of feline laughter. Starfeather breathlessly laughed with him. Then playfully, she swiped her wing through the water and splashed it in his face. "Hey!" Not to be defeated, he skimmed his tail in and flicked the droplets at her.

She squawked with protest, giggling as the fight escalated until both of them were pushing each other in the shallows. After a few minutes, they agreed on a tie and dragged themselves to the shore. Panting, they flopped to their backs and looked up at the sky, watching the clouds lazily flow along. Neither said anything for a while. Starfeather had her wings spread so the early noon rays of the sun would dry her. Cheetor's creamy belly fur faced the sun as well, his paws suspended in the air.

Suddenly, a feeling of deja vu came over her. Glancing around, she realized that this was the place where Terrorsaur had taken her the night they had first truely expressed how they felt. She hadn't realized it was that close to the Maximal base but she didn't really care now. She closed her eyes, remembering that wonderful night and savoring the sensations.

Cheetor finally broke the spell. "So... why did you leave?" He turned his head to look at her.

Starfeather tensed, all her hurt returning; the argument, the confession, hurting poor Waspy, the flight... Her spark sunk to her feet. She did not want to answer but figured she had to tell someone. "I... Terrorsaur and I had a fight. He wouldn't see sense so I left," she answered simply, trying to subtly drop the subject.

"What happened?" he pressed.

She growled mentally but relaxed. She could tell Cheetor. "I played a prank on him and he took it too seriously..."

"What kind of prank?"

She wished he would drop the subject but answered him. "I just drew on his face. The marker came right off. I don't know why he was so upset... I tried to apologize, but..." She couldn't say anymore.

Before the cheetah could say anything, his comm. link went off. _"Cheetor,"_ Optimus Primal's voice said. _"Has Starfeather woken up yet?"_

"Yeah," he replied. "We're just outside the base taking some air."

_"Very good. Bring her back to base. I'd like to speak with her privately,"_ the Maximal leader ordered then the link went dead. The two looked at each other. Cheetor shrugged and rolled to his paws. He helped the raven up and back onto his back. She glanced wistfully into the sky and down at her burnt primary flight feathers. She guessed she would have to spend a cycle or two in the C.R. chamber before she could fly again.

-x-

Poking his head through the door way, Waspinator looked from the left and to the right. No one. This would be easy... At least, he hoped this would be easy. He knew Megatron might have the Maximal's rectifier coil booby trapped but he was Wazzpinator. He could handle it. Stepping lightly, he snuck into the storage bay, all quiet like a fish and...

Wait... where did that come from?

Anyway, the wasp was close, so close now that he could just reach out and touch the piece of machinery if we wished. Readying himself and shielding his head with one arm, he lifted the other and lightly tapped the object with a pointed finger. Nothing. He relaxed greatly, almost laughing at himself as he took the coil in his hands.

Too bad it was when he turned to leave did the automatic cannon appear from the ceiling.

-x-

It didn't take but a couple minutes until they were back inside the deposed ship. Starfeather assured Cheetor that she could walk to Big Bot's quarters. Her limp was growing less painful the more she walked. Sometimes, she absolutely loved being a Transformer. She healed faster, was stronger and more resilient to things, she could fly, and she could see things in whole other dimensions with optics rather than eyes. Though, most of the time, she kept the general statistic scope switched off on her vision except when in battle (Megatron required it). She found it annoying, like smudges on a pair of sunglasses.

Her thought train screeched to a halt when she arrived at Optimus's door. Being unable to knock, she pecked at the door. She heard a muffled "Enter," and the door parted for her. She had never been in Optimus's room before. Glancing briefly around, she noticed a few replica figurines of ships and some small trophy looking pieces on shelves. Star maps were hung on some of the walls. A large window backed the room, giving a lovely view of the edge of the waterfall and the river bellow, carving gracefully through the plains and forests. What really grabbed her attention was the biggest picture that sat on the spacious desk in the center of the room.

Hopping closer, she saw it was a picture of who she thought was Optimus standing beside a femme. Sitting gleefully on the femme's lap was the most precious little Transformer girl Starfeather had ever seen... accounting that it was the first she had ever seen.

"That is my mate and sparkling; Nightingale and Springbreeze." His voice startled her a little. Starfeather looked curiously at the gorilla.

"Is Springbreeze the little girl?" she asked, looking back at the picture. That could be one reason why he treated her akin to a daughter; he missed his own. She felt honored and lightly smiled.

"Yes," Optimus nodded with a distant look in his eyes. "But this picture was taken centuries ago, though. She's about 110 years old now."

The raven's eyes bugged. "110 years?"

"Transformers age differently than humans do, physically and mentally," he answered patiently. Starfeather understood. Robots could function a long time so who knew how long a living robot could? She had never thought to ask how old any of her comrades were. She always assumed they were just older than she was. Maybe she was wrong. She made a mental note to ask Cheetor or Airazor later.

"So... is 110 thousand years equivalent to an 11 year old person?"

Optimus nodded again. "That's right, but I didn't call you here to talk about ages."

Starfeather giggled innocently. "I figured," Her amusement died away. "You want to know why I left."

"If you are willing to tell me."

She thought against it but... Optimus was the only thing to a father she had. She could tell her dad anything. So she told him everything. Everything from Terrorsaur carrying her out of bed, drawing on his face, his reaction, his and her own punishment, the fight, and her escape. "That's why I came here, because I want to see if... if he really does care enough to come to me or try and convince me to come back."

The Maximal leader (though disturbed that she had slept with the red flier in the first place) thought on this for a moment. "In that case, I take it you might not stay long."

She shook her head. "I might... you never know." She felt a sob coming. _No, not now! I must look like a big cry baby._

"Did you happen to bring what Megatron stole from us?"

Her spark almost stopped and her breath caught in her throat. _Oh crap..._ What a fool she was! "No," she said, her voice squeaked. "Optimus, I'm so sorry. I didn't-"

He raised a hand to stop her. "I don't need an explanation. I think I understand."

Her legs suddenly lost their will to stand and her head swam. She swayed and might have hit the floor if Optimus hadn't caught her. Silently, he carried her to a side room, his recharge chambers, and gently set her at the foot of his berth. He took a seat in a near by chair. It took a few minutes for Starfeather's thoughts to calm down.

Looking to him thankfully, she murmured, "Thanks."

"It's alright," he replied just as quietly. "I understand you weren't meant to be a soldier. And I probably should never have asked you to spy for us."

She knew he was right but she wanted to learn. She was already an average aim and could maneuver almost the same as her wing mates. She just needed more practice, not to mention a better teacher than Megatron. Every once in a while, he would still take her out and drill her.

Yet, becoming a spy was more than half of her problem. Because of it, Starscream had tried to make her and Blackarachnia his pets and it had over shadowed her relationship with Terrorsaur with a sense of betrayal to the Maximals and to him. She couldn't be loyal to both sides.

"No Optimus," she said. "It's not your fault at all. It... it's my fault for... for not leaving when I realized the Predacons were bad. Waspinator and... Terrorsaur didn't mean as much to me then." She spoke the latter's name quickly, not wanting to mention him at all anymore that day. "They were only acquaintances that showed me the ropes and I thought I would be going home soon so..."

"If you don't beat yourself up, I won't either," Optimus promised.

"Okay," she agreed with a sad, reluctant smile.

-x-

Cheetor was pacing a short distance away from the door to Primal's quarters. He wasn't nervous or anything, he was growing impatient. What was taking so long? She should have been dismissed ten cycles ago. When Starfeather finally did come out, neither could say anything because the base alarm went off warning of intruders.

Optimus burst from his room and saw them. "To the command center, let's move people!"

The three raced down the corridors to the bridge. Rattrap had already brought up a radar image when they arrived. Upon identification, it looked to be Waspinator leading Terrorsaur and Inferno. Starfeather was confused. This wasn't what Megatron said he would do. Optimus called up a visual and this further confused the raven.

Waspinator wasn't leading Terrorsaur and Inferno; he was being chased by them! And what was that he was carrying?

"Hey!" Cheetor blurted out. "That crazy bug's got our rectifier coil!"

So he did.

"Open a comm. channel to Waspinator's communicator," the Maximal leader ordered. Rattrap did so and everyone waited with baited breath as Primal spoke. "Waspinator, this is Optimus Primal. What do you think you're doing with the rectifier coil?"

_"What Maximalzz think Wazzpinator doing? Wazpinator joining Maximalz zzo Wazpinator thought he'd bring their energon shield thingy."_

Everyone was speechless except Starfeather. She stepped toward the microphone. "Waspy, if this is just some stunt you cooked up to try and get me to come back, it's not going to work."

_"Wazzpinator knowz. Wazpinator will explain when he getzz there. Wazzpinator: out."_

Everyone blinked. "Well," Rattrap was the first to say anything. "Dat was unexpected."

-x-

"Traitor!" Inferno bellowed yet again and continued his barrage of fire upon the fleeing wasp. "You shall buuuuuurn!"

"Waspinator!" Terrorsaur screeched for the thousandths time over Inferno's cries. "If you don't answer, I swear to Primus, I'll rip you apart when I catch you!"

Wanting to keep his limbs attached for once, Waspinator opened a private mental channel with his brother. _"Wazzpinator thought it waz obviouzz."_

_"It IS obvious: you're giving the Maximals back their energon shield and making Megatron even more steamed than thunder butt here!"_ Terrorsaur hissed, indicating toward Inferno.

_"No, Wazzpinator going to zzztay with Bird-bot until Terrorsaur and everyone elzzze get better."_

_"What are you talking about? You're not leaving too, I won't have it!"_

_"Terrorsaur need to grow up or Wazzpinator and Bird-bot not coming back."_ That said, he cut the connection and raced onward. He zigzagged to avoid the shots being fired at him. Nearing the Maximal base, he saw the auto defenses were still active. Maybe they weren't convinced he really was joining them. To make his point, he held up the coil so it could be seen clearly.

"Deactivate bazze defensezzz!" he begged.

-x-

"Please Optimus," Starfeather pleaded with her wing mate. "Let him in! He can't dodge those two forever!"

"And who says he ain't gonna double cross us, huh?" Rattrap pointed out. "Once a Pred, always a Pred!"

"Shut up, Rattrap!" Cheetor growled. "Starfeather's no Pred anymore."

The words stung. She still felt very much like a Predacon even though she had changed her activation code not too long ago. Her eyes locked to the screen, she drowned out the voices of her comrades. Suddenly, the video being played out took a turn for the worst and everyone saw too late what had happened.

A stray shot by Inferno happened to braze the coil just enough to knock it from the wasp's claws. It plummeted to the ground and smashed to pieces. Everyone was speechless. However, with the coil gone, the fire ant decided that the wasp posed no more of a threat and backed off. Megatron had said to bring the coil back but said nothing of Waspinator. He was a useless drone anyway.

Terrorsaur, on the other hand, was seething. Both his best friends had left and it was all because... Slag, he didn't even know why anymore. He hovered in the air as he watched his younger brother fumble with the shards of metal and machinery in the dirt. He felt like something inside him was going to burst if he didn't _do_ something about it.

He watched as Starfeather flew out of the base, landing beside Waspinator, and murmured a few words of encouragement and comfort. She then looked up directly at him. Nothing needed to be said to know what she was thinking. With that, she led Waspinator inside.

Seeing no more point in staying, Terrorsaur went beast mode and followed after Inferno. Who was he kidding? He didn't need Waspinator. Slag it, he didn't need Starfeather. He'd done just fine on his own before this war and he could still survive by himself now. Nothing had changed for him. Nothing.

-x-

Megatron slammed his fist down on the arm of his command chair, causing Terrorsaur and Inferno to flinch. "This is unacceptable!" he shouted. "Two fliers have defected and the rectifier coil is destroyed! What do you have to say for yourselves?"

Inferno bowed deeply. "Forgive me, my Queen. I am willing to take what ever punishment you-"

Megatron slapped a hand to his forehead and sluggishly pulled it down his face. "Thank you, Inferno but _stop_ calling me **that**!"

"Yes my Quee-" Before he could finish, Megatron aimed a hearty kick which sent the fire ant sprawling backwards over the deck plates and over the edge and into a C.R. tank. Terrorsaur peeked up from behind his arm. He gulped, not wanting to end up like his comrade.

Megatron eyed the remaining red flier. "Your turn, Terrorsaur," he said silkily as if anticipating knocking him away as well.

He searched his processor for some type of blasted excuse only to find he didn't have one. Bracing himself, he answered, "I have nothing to say, sir."

It looked like the Predacon leader was going to beat him up too but he didn't. He figured the pterodactyl would be more useful undamaged. "Get some rest. You and Blackarachnia will be the first to disturb the Maximals' peace, yes."

-x-

It took a while for Starfeather and Waspinator to explain Megatron's full plan and for Waspinator to be accepted into the ranks (not willingly in some cases), but he changed his activation code and was given a room. A meeting was called soon afterward about what to do. Rhinox said he might be able to make another coil but everyone else should remain in beast mode for when the Predacons would come.

And come they did. For two days, the Predacons rain down upon the base at random hours of the day or night. All the Maximals were feeling exhausted.

To Starfeather's horror, Megatron's plan was working. The Maximals' beast mode instincts were beginning to take control. She and Waspy were not affected because their initial programming and wiring was different. Rhinox was about halfway done with the new rectifier coil, having used salvageable parts from the original. The raven just hoped he could finish it in time.

Yesterday, Cheetor had pounced on Waspinator, claws extended and hackles raised. When Starfeather pried them apart, the cheetah claimed he didn't know what came over him.

Just this after noon, she witnessed a disturbing scene in the main control room. Rhinox was taking a break until he could remain in robot mode again. Optimus and Rattrap were there as well. The Maximal leader had dozed off and the rat was struggling to do a perimeter scan. Rattrap complained that he wanted to transform so he could do his tasks more efficiently but Optimus, who had awakened from one the explosions, argued that if he did, he would have less fight time if the Predacons really did attack. The petty argument nearly escalated into an all out brawl if Rhinox hadn't stomped around, swinging his head and yelling at the two and dislodging the consol table.

The Maximals could clearly see the effects of mental transformations coming over them from being forced to stay in their beast forms yet nothing could be done to stop it. Thankfully, Tigatron was on his way to help in any way he could. They just hoped he wouldn't be too late.

-x-

Cheetor could practically feel his beast mode instincts tearing and gnawing away at his conscious mind. It didn't hurt but he knew that he wouldn't be himself in a matter of... well, he didn't know how long. There were some things that he felt he needed to say before he went insane. Optimus had ordered that all units remain inside or within sight of the base incase of an attack but that was alright. Cheetor just needed some private space to say what he needed to say.

On his silent feline paws, the cheetah entered the room where the energon rations were kept, where Starfeather was. All were allowed two rations a day and she liked one in the morning to perk her up and one in the evening to wined down. It was evening so hopefully she was still there. She was, and she was with Waspinator.

Cheetor slightly frowned. Ever since that bug joined them, the two were inseparable. If one was around, the other couldn't be far away. What if Starfeather refused to talk to him alone? What if Waspinator begged to tag along?

Shaking his head to clear it, Cheetor pushed away his doubt and approached the two fliers. They were finishing off the last of their cubes and looked at him as he came near. "Hi Cheetor," the raven greeted and indicated toward the open crates of energon cubes. "Care to join us?"

He shook his head and smiled nervously. "Actually, I was wondering if you would join me... A perimeter check around the base sounds like fun."

The wasp groaned. "But Wazzpinator tired."

"Then you don't have to come," Starfeather said, lightly patting her wing mate on the back with her wing. When he moved to protest, she continued with, "You'll be fine without me for a few minutes, Waspy. I keep telling you, no one is going to hurt you."

He wasn't quite convinced but he agreed. "Okay. Wazpinator will go wait for Bird-bot." No sooner said did the wasp buzz out of the room. Starfeather sighed.

"Don't ya just love 'im?" she asked, not caring if she didn't get an answer.

Cheetor shrugged. "I guess he's a nice guy if you're on the same side."

"Yeah..." she sighed and looked distant for a moment before snapping out of it. "Shall we go?"

He turned and waited for her to catch up before heading out. For the first few moments, the walk was awkwardly quiet until the cheetah turned to his winged companion. "Can I say something... personal?"

Right from the start, Starfeather had guessed Cheetor might have wanted to talk about a relationship. She really didn't want to right now but figured she might as well get it over with. "Yes, go ahead," she answered, trying to sound encouraging.

She must have sounded like such because he continued on, though a bit rushed. "I admit that I didn't trust you in the beginning but things change, y'know..." He paused to gather his thoughts, choosing the right words as carefully as he could. "But now, I... I want you to feel the same. I want... I want you to love me, like I love you."

She stopped and stared at the ground. She felt so guilty. Half of her heart told her not to give up on Terrorsaur while the other half said to give Cheetor a chance, that it might work out for them in the end if she would let him in. She felt so lost. She just wanted to go home and forget all this ever happened...

Despite strict orders, Cheetor transformed to his robot form, kneeling beside the raven, and put his arms around her. She accepted him and appreciated the physical contact. It was comforting. When she shook, holding in her sobs, he began stroking his fingers down her head. "Please," he murmured. "I won't be sane much longer. I just... wanted you to know how I feel. Please... tell me how you feel."

She couldn't reply. She was afraid if she tried to speak, all that would come out would be a wail of agony. She was so torn. She didn't want to hurt Cheetor yet she wanted to stay faithful to Terrorsaur. She didn't know where to turn. "I," she choked out. "I can't-"

"Transform, now," he said, surprisingly quietly.

Thinking of nothing else to do, she did as he asked. He sat beside her and held her closer. She let her sobs loose, burying her face in his chest. He lightly brushed her wings, she didn't care. Starfeather just wanted her problems to go away.

Then slowly, Cheetor tilted her head to face him. She looked hopelessly into his golden optics, tears brimming her own aqua green ones. Then ever so slowly, he pressed his lips against hers. She tensed, her mind screaming that this was wrong, but she relaxed and molded her mouth to his.

_I'm sorry..._

-x-

Terrorsaur exhaled long and softly for what seemed like the millionth time that night. He lay alone in his quarters. Facing the wall on his bed, he absentmindedly stroked the space where Starfeather would have been if she hadn't left. It had been two days since then and, no matter how many times he would tell himself that he didn't need her, that she didn't matter, that other voice would whisper of his ache for her touch, her gentle smile and calming voice.

He remembered the last time something like this had happened between them. It hadn't been so bad only that it had hurt a little. Now... it hurt a lot. Not only had Starfeather left, but Waspinator, his own brother, had gone with her. Why had he gone too? Did he just want to stay near her? Was there some other reason?

He remembered when the wasp had fled, the private talk they'd had.

_Terrorsaur need to grow up or Wazzpinator and Bird-bot not come back._

"Why?" he croaked to the darkness that was shrouding him. But he knew why.

He wouldn't admit that he knew what was meant by him needing to grow up. He wouldn't admit that he knew that he had overreacted when Starfeather played that silly prank on him. He wouldn't admit that he did need her, need Waspy to get through the day. He wouldn't admit that he knew what he had to do to get them back. And he wouldn't admit that he, if he wasn't mistaken by what he felt, returned the raven's... love.

Terrorsaur frowned and shut his optics tight, balling his hands into fists. _Love_. He had always been told that it was a weak emotion, a weak, meaningless emotion reserved for Maximals. Yet, if love was meaningless, why did Starfeather tell him that she loved him? Why did he crave to have it from her, to give it back to her? Why did it pain him when things went wrong between those closest to him? Like now...

The pterodactyl had never really been one to shed tears, but on this night, he figured he had good reason to.

-x-

Because of his insecurity reasons, Starfeather allowed Waspinator to sleep on the floor by her bed in her room. She was glad for the company and Waspy felt safer at night. They were recharging soundly when the door suddenly hissed open.

The fliers remained asleep as the intruder approached on silent paws. Whiskers twitched in irritation at seeing the green and yellow obstacle in his path towards his prize. Bunching his muscles, Cheetor readied himself to leap over the wasp and land neatly beside the raven.

The cheetah paused a moment to study her. Her form was still, her head partially hidden beneath her wing. He stifled a purr and jumped. He landed soundlessly near her and looked down on her sleeping figure. He let his purr sound as he lowered his head and gently licked her cheek. She moaned softly in her recharge and shifted her head, resting it on the berth. Cheetor's purr intensified and he crouched and softly rubbed the side of his face against hers.

Starfeather moaned again before gasping, snapping her head up and her eyes open. She almost screamed before realizing that the cat in her face had to be Cheetor. "What are you doing in my room?" she hissed.

She was confused when he answered only with a nudge to her shoulder and a throaty purring. She stared at him. Something wasn't right about him, about his eyes. She looked closer and saw that they were no longer green. They were brown. "Cheetor," she said in a louder, less irritated tone. "What's wrong? Are you alright? Please say you're alright."

He didn't say anything. It was then that she knew what was wrong. His animal instincts must have finally overridden his processors. She was suddenly scared. Who knew what he would do to her if she made a wrong move.

Cheetor nudged her again, a little harder this time, his tail flicking. The raven tilted her head. "What are you trying to tell me?" she murmured.

Cheetor padded to her other side and tried to gently but firmly push her to the edge of the bed. Starfeather dug her claws into the metal berth and held fast. "Waspy," she grunted.

There was a snort and the wasp raised his head. "Bird-bot zzzay something?"

"I think Cheetor's gone feral and he's trying to get me out of the room," she explained as she held herself in place. The cat began to growl now, his tail twitching with irritation at her stubbornness. "I don't know what to do."

Waspinator got up on all six legs and backed away to a far corner. "Cat-bot might hurt Bird-bot and Wazpinator if she not do what Cat-bot wantzz."

"But I don't know what he wants from me."

"Wazzpinator will follow. Go."

Starfeather nodded. Cautiously, she hopped of the bed and slowly toward the door, watching the cheetah as he followed her. Waspinator trailed them at a safe distance. Down the hallways they went, Cheetor guiding Starfeather with a gentle push in the direction he wanted her to go. He eventually led her outside and into the forest to the east of the base. Waspinator didn't let them out of his sight.

They came to a very small clearing, no wider than an average modern Earth car is long. Starfeather stood in the center and Cheetor began circling around her, his tail dragging along her body. He was purring louder than ever now and his behavior was making her very uncomfortable.

_Waspy_, she thought anxiously. _If you're watching, please come break this up._

-x-

Terrorsaur hunted alone. Inferno had blundered off after Rhinox so the pterodactyl was left to his own devices. Megatron had ordered that if either Waspinator or Starfeather were spotted that they should be disabled and brought to him. Terrorsaur had other ideas. Currently, he was circling wide and toward the Maximal base, hoping that Starfeather was there. He couldn't take another night without her. He was going to bring her back tonight if it killed him.

He didn't get far before he caught sight of his brother. The wasp looked worried, like he was franticly searching for something. He flew straight for him. "Waspinator!" he called.

Waspinator looked up, startled. "Terrorsaur?"

"What're you doing out here? Where's Starfeather?" Terrorsaur demanded.

"Wazzpinator following Bird-bot and Cat-bot but Wazpinator lozzt them," he answered. "Wazpinator afraid what Cat-bot might do if Wazzpinator dozzen't find them."

That could only mean one thing. The red mech felt the energon in his systems begin to boil. "Where did you last see them?"

-x-

Cheetor was pressing the side of his body against her, forcing her to lie down. Starfeather flailed her wings to try and make back away if not for a minute. She just needed enough space away from him to take flight and escape. She couldn't before because he had been too close behind her. If she had tried, he would have jumped and sunk his teeth and claws into her back and tail if he was determined to keep her near until the Predacons found them.

She knew they would be out tonight to kill them off one by one and there was nothing she could do about it even if she wanted to. She figured Megatron would kill her if he found her. What reason was there to stop him? If Terrorsaur even cared, the Predacon leader was unlikely to listen to him.

All seemed hopeless: her situation, the Maximals' fate, and her and Waspinator's fate. She hated quoting Rattrap but, never the less, they were all going to die.

She relaxed, letting the cheetah rub up against her side. He smoothed his face all over her, covering her with his scent, claiming her as his own. She let him. In the end, she figured it was the least she could do for him. It had sort have been his last request... earlier that night.

She quivered with a mixture of emotions; fear, sorrow, self pity, and pleasure. She waited silently for the end to come, listening to Cheetor's reverberating purrs of satisfaction. It was a calming noise. She could have fallen asleep, letting her thoughts and worries drift away into time. She very nearly did fall asleep. Starfeather and Cheetor both jumped up at the sound of an enraged screech. They looked and saw, outlined in front of the larger of the two moons, none other than Terrorsaur.

The raven gasped. The cheetah's brown eyes widened and his hackles rose. Terrorsaur scowled. "Get your fraggin' paws off my friend you mangy fleabag!"

Cheetor snarled in response, lowering to a crouch, ready to jump and fight for his prize.

"N-no!" Starfeather cried out to both of them. "Don't hurt him!"

Neither seemed to pay attention as Terrorsaur aimed his hunting plasma rifle at the cat and Cheetor bared his fangs, ears pinned to the back of his head. The flier fired, the cheetah leaped clear of the blast, landing squarely on the pterodactyl's chest plate. The force of the impact caused Terrorsaur to fall from the sky and drop his gun. Now on the ground, the two rolled around, punching and biting, pushing and scratching.

After several minutes, they shoved apart, panting. Terrorsaur was covered with claw and bite marks. His lower lip was bleeding as well as a row of four scratches across his left optic. Cheetor held his sprained right forepaw up from the ground, growling with every breath. Some of his whiskers were gone and his right eye was swelling shut. Energon and oil dripped from his nose and from where a fang was missing.

Thinking he could do more damage in his alternate form, Terrorsaur shifted to his beast form, emitting a high pitched battle cry. Cheetor's eyes widened as the pterodactyl lunged toward him, beak snapping. Yet again they were a ball of teeth, claws, and snarls.

Starfeather watched the fight in horror. She felt so helpless, knowing there was really nothing she could do. A short distance away, she noticed Waspinator hiding in the bushes surrounding the clearing. They locked gazes. They seemed to speak telepathically. She nodded and inched her way toward the fallen rifle.

The mechs continued to quarrel, fur, scales, and blood flying. They didn't notice the raven as she transformed and reached for the gun. Just then, Cheetor lunged for Terrorsaur's neck. Attempting to avoid the potentially damaging blow, he transformed to robot mode. The cheetah was knocked off balance and landed in some shrubs a few feet away. Terrorsaur stood and fished for his personal blaster.

Undaunted, the cat lunged again, this time, hitting his mark. The force of the impact knocked the blaster right from the red mech's hand. He screeched in surprise, falling back to the ground, trying to throw Cheetor off. Starfeather was frozen in place as she took in the scene. Terrorsaur's screeches died to pained gurgles and gasps for breath as Cheetor squeezed his throat between his jaws.

Hearing Waspinator's cry of distress snapped her out of it. With shaking hands, she franticly set the gun to stun. Starfeather raised the scope on the gun barrel to her optic, aimed, and pulled the trigger. It all seemed to happen in slow motion. The beam traveled through the air, hit Cheetor in the shoulder, and forced him off of Terrorsaur. He landed on the ground with a muffled thud, sliding a few inches before coming to a stop, perfectly limp. Energon dripped ominously from his lips, still drawn back in a snarl.

Seeing the danger was gone, Starfeather crawled over to where Terrorsaur lay, gasping for breath. His neck was ripped open and bled profusely, pooling around his head. She was shocked at how much damage the cheetah had done but she knew she had to stop the bleeding. Once again, she took out her tie dye tee shirt and tried to use it as a tourniquet.

She nearly jumped out her mainframe when red and black hands grasped her lower arms. She saw Terrorsaur's crimson optics wild with pain and fear. He relaxed greatly when he realized who was touching him.

"Star..." he coughed.

"Shhh," she hushed him. "Don't talk."

He didn't listen. "Gotta... tell you somethi-" He coughed more, spattering blood on her cheek.

"No stop," she pleaded, her voice shaking. "You'll choke yourself."

He shook his head, a painful movement at this time. "I'm... sorry... Want you back..."

"I'm here now," she said, taking hold of one of his hands while holding her makeshift tourniquet in place. It was soaked through and threatening to drip. "Please, tell me later."

"No... now," he gasped.

Waspinator abandoned his hiding place and came forward. He placed his forelimbs on the balled up shirt, freeing Starfeather's other hand. She glanced at him gratefully and turned back to the pterodactyl, grasping both his hands in her own.

He choked out the words, the effort taking its toll from his remaining strength. "I... was wrong... Forgive you."

The raven smiled, tears pricking the brims of her aqua green optics. She briefly squeezed his hands. "And I forgive you."

Terrorsaur struggled for breath to continue. _Almost done,_ he thought. _No stopping now._ "And... I... I lo-" A coughing fit raked him and he spat up more blood than last time. "I l-love you too..." he wheezed. He didn't care how pathetic he sounded. He just had to tell her before he went offline. He knew he was going to. His internal computer kept repeating that his air pumps were filling with fluid and his body was loosing vital energon.

Starfeather gasped and sobbed at the same time. It sounded more like a choking noise but she didn't care. He loved her. That was all she cared about. Yet... she knew that he didn't have much time left. By the sound of his labored and gravelly breathing, his air pumps must have blood leaking into them. Her tears fell and she held his hands against her face. Terrorsaur gently wiped her tears away, forcing a crooked smile.

Waspinator sniffed from where he sat watching and faithfully pressing the shirt against the wound. "Wazzpinator happy love birdz back together." His voice was high with the effort of trying not to cry.

Starfeather leaned down closer to Terrorsaur's face. "You can't die now," she breathed. He smiled weakly at her before his optics flickered out and his fingers went limp in her hands. She shook her head. "No... no, no! Please! Don't go!" She pressed her audio receiver against his chest and nearly laughed out loud at hearing his spark still beating but it was fading. She sat up. "Help!" she cried into the night. "Somebody help!"

_**There's no reason for you to hide**_

_**Only love can change your life**_

_**You decide**_

**AN:** Song: **You Decide** by _Fireflight_


	30. Where Things Stand

**#30 - Where Things Stand**

Megatron was not just angry.

Megatron was mad...

Very, _very_, mad.

Not one, not two, but **three** of his four fliers had just up and left. Terrorsaur was his best marksman, Starfeather... well, you know, and Waspinator... he didn't account for much more than an aerial scout but he was still a flier. Now his fighting force was only reduced to himself, Inferno, Scorponok, Blackarachnia, and Tarantulas. He was at a major strategic disadvantage and needed more troops fast and most of all, he needed a sure way to get them. His original plan of abducting humans, mutating them, and wiping their minds had been flushed down the drain so he needed something else. The only other thing was the stasis pods still in orbit.

He knew he and his remaining men would have to work harder than ever to obtain the stasis pods before the Maximals could.

-x-

Starfeather swerved this way and that through the trunks of the trees. She kept looking over her shoulder and squealed every time her pursuer would snap at her tail feathers. She shrieked with laughter as she dodged behind a tree. A shadowed figure narrowly missed her. She peeked out from her hiding place, feathers ruffled. Suddenly, her view was blocked by a flash of sharp teeth. She gasped then giggled as she flew up through the branches of the tree.

Her pursuer glared playfully from the ground. "Cheater!" he squawked.

The raven, hovering inches over the leaves, rolled her eyes. "You can fly too y'know." she called.

"Oh yeah, hehe." Quickly getting over his brief loss of memory, Terrorsaur ruffled his wings and shot up into the tree and burst out the top. Having only caught air, the pterodactyl scanned his surroundings for his companion. He yelped when something rammed into his backside.

"Oops, zzorry," Waspinator apologized.

Terrorsaur growled. Both mechs looked up when they heard two sets of twittering laughter. Airazor and Starfeather stopped laughing when they noticed the green and red fliers heading towards them. The birds exchanged a glance and grinned devilishly. Just before the mechs could touch them, they took off in opposite directions leaving Terrorsaur and Waspinator tumbling through air until they stopped themselves.

"Slow pokes!" Airazor taunted.

"You can't catch us!" Starfeather jeered.

"Not yet we haven't!" Terrorsaur retorted. "C'mon Waspinator. I have a plan."

From where they were hovering, the femmes watched the others whisper among themselves. "Should we be worried?" Airazor wondered.

Starfeather shrugged. "Nah. They're barely keeping us on our toes."

It was a while before Terrorsaur and Waspinator turned back to them. "We give up," Terrorsaur declared. "You won aerial tag..." He paused and narrowed his eyes impishly. "But we're gonna win the race home!" Without giving them a chance, he and Waspy soared passed them, cackling and giggling.

"Hey!" Starfeather crowed and followed after them, Airazor at her wing tip.

The falcon took a deep breath as they gave chase. "Ah, this is a rather pleasant change, I guess."

"Yeah, now we don't have to pretend we're enemies," the raven agreed. What a few weeks it had been. She and Waspy stayed with the Maximals, Rhinox finished the new rectifier coil, and for all his work, the rhino got infected with an energon discharge virus of Tarantuals's design.

She shook her head to herself. Oh, the horrible memories of that day... but there was a good one. After retreating from the spider's lab with the counter virus, what a sight they had beheld. The blast from the rhino's back side had literally blown the Predacons away. They had all landed in an old gnarled tree a little ways away. The look on Megatron's face had been priceless.

Now the setting sun was bathing the world in a warm light, turning everything a rosy golden color. They had left the forest behind and were soaring over a field filled with yellow wild flowers. Starfeather swooped down and buried her beak in the golden mass as she glided above the petals, drinking in the sweet scent.

Suddenly, her head was shoved into the stems and she lost her balance, somersaulting and landing on her face rather comically. She sneezed flower petals out of her nose and shook plant debris from her head and scowled up at the person who had pushed her. She could hear Airazor and Waspinator snickering from somewhere behind her.

"Very funny, Screechy." Starfeather laughed dryly as she brushed pollen from her breast feathers and shoulders.

Terrorsaur laughed and turned to fly out of reach. Before he got too far, the raven transformed and jumped up, grabbing for his clawed feet. He squawked in surprise and indignation and flapped his wings harder in an attempt to tug himself free. Grunting loudly with the effort, she jerked him back and they both fell backwards into the golden sea.

The wasp and falcon were circling over head, laughing at the spectacle below them. The downed fliers shoved each other off and sat glowering at the other until they too joined in the laughing fit. Airazor and Waspinator eventually flew off. Starfeather rolled onto her stomach, picking one of the flowers and twirling it between her fingers absentmindedly. Terrorsaur reverted to robot form and lay on his back, hands behind his head.

"What a boring day, huh?" he said.

"Mhm," Starfeather nodded and decided to make a flower chain. "Maybe we should have went back to the Predacons when you were better?" This was more of a joke than a real question. Terrorsaur chuckled.

"Nah," He shrugged. "I like not having to listen to Megatron talk to himself all day."

"Amen to that," They both snickered to themselves about that.

Starfeather smiled affectionately at him and crawled over to lay down beside him, continuing her flower chain. It wasn't everyday one discovered just how fragile a life was, no matter how advanced the life form. Terrorsaur had nearly drowned in his own blood that one night. Cheetor had punctured the flier's intake tube (or esophagus) and ruptured a main fuel line (or artery).

Meanwhile, the Maximals had harmonized with their animal instincts (thanks to Tigatron) and fought off the Predacons so heard Starfeather's cries for help. Fortunately, Rhinox had been able to get the fluid out of Terrorsaur's air pumps and patch up the damage enough for him to transform and be carried to base. With some reasoning from herself and the wasp, the red mech had stayed with them at the Maximal base.

She had been so happy. She was free of her burden of secret loyalty to the apposing faction. Sadly, she was not free of guilt.

_-Flashback-_

"Optimus, you can't let Terrorsaur join us! Remember Starscream?" Cheetor growled. His hackles were raised again and he almost looked as wild as he had been moments before. He still hadn't cleaned his lips of the red mech's blood. "He'll try to throw you down just like he would to Megatron!"

"On what grounds?" Starfeather shot back. "He wants to lead the Predacons, not the Maximals!"

"She has a point," Dinobot offered. "If I know Terrorsaur well enough, he would simply defect if Megatron were ever destroyed. If you were destroyed Optimus, he would have to go through me if he wanted your position."

"I appreciate your insight Dinobot," Optimus said with slight sarcasm. "But the choice of whether Terrorsaur will join us is ultimately up to me." He look at Starfeather, her emotion filled optics pleading with him to let her downed wing mate come with them. He looked at Terrorsaur. The red flier was torn up pretty badly. Even though he was in beast mode, he was still weak from the trauma and loss of energon. He doubted he could even make it half way to the Predacon base.

"B-but Optimus," Cheetor cut in again. "He-"

"That's enough, Cheetor," the Maximal leader ordered. "I know you and Terrorsaur have some friction between you but that doesn't change my opinion about him. He comes back with us." He then ordered Dinobot and Rattrap to ease Terrorsaur onto Rhinox's back.

The cheetah was speechless as he watched, jaws hanging open. He soon shook himself vigorously and backed into the dark forest. Starfeather was just getting ready to follow the other Maximals when she thought she felt a burning in her back. She looked and saw Cheetor's now green eyes glaring at her with betrayal dominant in his gaze. Before she could say anything, he ran off into the night.

_-End Flashback-_

Cheetor hadn't spoken to anyone freely since then. Starfeather had felt so bad. She knew that Cheetor and Terrorsaur had fought because of her. She knew Cheetor was angry because of her. She knew Terrorsaur almost died because of her.

She was happy that Terrorsaur and Waspy were trying their best to fit in. Waspinator had little trouble but Terrorsaur was another story. Rattrap treated him like he did Dinobot, said raptor most often ignored his presence, and Airazor was always wary of him to name a few issues. The pterodactyl was trying his best to gain a name for himself.

What worried her though was that he didn't plan on staying long. Just the other day, he had told her that he wanted her and Waspinator to return to the Predacons when things began to look grim for them and take over. Gaining a trust with the Maximals' and knowing their secrets would give him a jumpstart to victory.

Starfeather had told Optimus all this. He had responded by saying that maybe this experience might change his mind, that she had to believe in him and make obvious his options. He didn't have to betray them, he didn't have to keep fighting.

She looked into Terrorsaur's face. The colors of the setting sun painted his white face a warm flesh tone. He glanced down and smiled at her. For a brief moment, she thought she saw him as a human being; red hair, red irises, pale skin. She blinked and he was back to normal. What would it be like to kiss him as a human?

"What're you looking at?" he finally asked.

"Oh, nothing." She sheepishly looked away. Noticing her chain was long enough, she made the flower chain into a necklace. "Just thinking..."

"About what?" Terrorsaur pressed.

She wondered how he would react if she told him. "What you would look like... if you were human."

He tilted his head to one side, looking at her curiously. "You know... there might be a way to find out."

Her face lit up and she looked back at him, excitement in her features. "Really?"

"Sure, but later," He dismissed the idea for the moment and looked at the darkening sky. "We'd better be heading back."

Starfeather looked too from where she was laying. Stars were beginning to twinkle in the darkening reaches of the pale pink sky. One of the now crescent moons was visible, the other would show up soon. She sighed. What planet was this?

"Are you gonna move or will I be forced to move you?"

She grinned and dramatically brought the back of her hand to her forehead. "Oh, must I?"

"Yes," the red mech replied flatly, sitting up and lifting her upper body in his arms. She giggled and placed her arms around his neck as she fitted the flower necklace over his head.

A spell seemed to come over them in that instant. The light was just right, the air was so still. Terrorsaur's hand moved to caress the raven's cheek and slowly trailed down her body. Her own hand reached for the crest on his head. He purred, she shivered. He leaned down toward her, their foreheads touched, their noses brushed. Optic shutters nearly closed, their lips almost found each other when-

"Come on you love sick buzzards," Airazor called from over head. She was obviously trying very hard not to laugh.

Terrorsaur shook his fist at the falcon. Starfeather laughed and pushed him back before jumping into the air. "Now you have to catch me if you want me!"

The red mech grinned evilly and leaped up from the ground, more than happy to oblige her.

-x-

Now that they were alone, Terrorsaur was determined to finish what they had started earlier. They were laying on Starfeather's recharge berth. She was laying over him, her leg twined with one of his. They were in the middle of a deep embrace. They caressed and kissed until Starfeather fell back, resting her head against his chest and breathing deeply. He continued to stroke her feathers and her back.

It was several minutes before either said anything. "I'm glad you came for me," Starfeather murmured.

"I am too," Terrorsaur rasped.

She snuggled closer into him. She knew it had been a few weeks since the ordeal but she still had to be sure. "Do you know what you mean when you say 'I love you'?" she wondered.

That was a serious question and he realized, no, he didn't really know what he was saying. "Well..." He tried to get a grasp of what he thought he meant. "I... I'm saying I need you. When you left... I wasn't myself." That was all he could think of to say. He couldn't begin to describe the pain he had endured those few yet long and lonely days alone.

"I make you happy?" she said softly.

"Yeah, that's it," he replied. "What do you mean when you say it?"

"I have a better idea," Starfeather sat up. "Let's play Twenty Questions. You heard of it?"

"No, but why do you want to play a game now?"

"Because we can learn more about each other. We ask questions until we get to twenty and we have to answer truthfully," she explained.

That sounded good. "Alright, who goes first?"

"You can."

"Alright, what do you mean when you say it?"

"I'm saying that I want to be faithful to you and only you," she answered. She smiled and gave him a chance to take it in before she asked her question. "Is red your favorite color?"

"I've always been red so I guess. Is blue and black your favorite color?"

"I like blue but orange is my favorite." She shrugged. "How many other siblings do you have?"

"Only one, an older brother: Goldenrod." Terrorsaur answered. "What was your brother's name?"

"Calvin but he never liked being called that so he goes by Ken." She watched the curious look that came over his face when she said Ken. "So... what would you transform into if not a pterosaur?"

He quickly shook off his growing suspicion. There had to be thousands of human boys named Calvin or Ken. "Well, bats caught my attention but I liked this better," Terrorsaur answered. "When we do get back to Cybertron, I think I'll keep this form for a while. What made you pick a raven?"

"I like ravens. They're intelligent and sleek." Starfeather then remembered something she had been meaning to ask for a while now. "How old are you?"

"Somewhere in the 2,100 range. How about you?"

She was still getting used to the large differences in her mind. _He's only 21,_ she told herself. "I... I don't remember. It's been so long, I feel like I'm an adult." She thought for a minute. _Okay, think. Wow, so much has happened. I've been here, what? Eight- nine- ten months? That's right, I was 16, it was June so my birthday was about a few months away... So in a couple more months, I'll be 18. _"I think I'm almost 18." She marveled at how much time had gone by, how real it all was. Soon she would be an adult. Suddenly, she felt sad. "I missed my own birthday."

He was confused. "You missed what?" he asked.

"My birthday," She looked at him. "Birthdays celebrate the date one was born on. They get presents from friends and family. Mine is on August 8th but you guys don't keep track of time the same way humans do."

Terrorsaur figured the game was on hold for now so he continued asking about this 'birthday' matter. It sounded like it was important to her so he wanted to know more. "What does one do on a birthday?"

She shrugged. "Different people do different things. Some people don't do anything. Kids usually like to have parties and play games, adults do that too sometimes. Sometimes people go out to eat at their favorite restaurant. It just depends on the person." As she explained all of this, memories of her past birthdays flooded her mind; the sleepovers, the trips to the movies and the zoo. It all seemed so far away now.

"What would you have done if you didn't miss yours?" he wondered.

"Oh, I dunno..." Starfeather dug into her memories of her planners and schedules she had made before coming here and being turned into what she was. "I wanted to have three of my closest friends over and go to an ice skating ring. I've never ice skated before."

The gears in his head were turning as he formulated plans and ideas. Since she missed her birthday, he thought he would do something for her. He certainly owed it to her after all he put her through.

She suddenly yawned. "Are you tired?"

"Yes." He chuckled and pulled her nearer, saving his plans for another time.

"In that case, I vote we officially call off the game," she muttered, closing her optic shutters. "G'night Screechy."

"G'night Star," he murmured back.

-x-

He had been listening to every word outside her door.

His ears were drawn back and he fought to keep a blood thirsty growl from escaping his throat. He just didn't understand why, after all he had done for her, Starfeather had pushed him aside for that... that fragging glitch-head! Couldn't she see that Terrorsaur was poisoning her mind with lies? He didn't care about her, all he wanted was to get under her plating. Cheetor had half a mind to barge in there when a voice caused him to whirl around.

"Why do ya keep goin' after ink feathers when she obviously ain't interested in ya?" the voice said.

Cheetor glared at the rat but said nothing.

"Look kiddo, I know fembots," Rattrap went on. "If day say no, more den likely, day mean no. And if ya keep comin' back, you're gonna get it eventually and it hurts more den bein' turned down."

He was trembling with rage now. The cheetah looked like he was going to pounce on Rattrap but he sighed and hung his head, not meeting the other's concerned gaze. "I've just never felt this way for anyone before..." he whispered.

"I know it, Spots," the rat comforted, leaning forward and ruffling Cheetor's ears. "But ya just gotta suck it up and move on." With that, Rattrap continued on his way, leaving the cat standing by Starfeather's door. He glanced at the door and where Rattrap had disappeared. Tail dragging on the floor, he finally retired to his own quarters.

-x-

_She was in some sort of brig, though not in a cell. The walls were tall and dull purple. She looked down at herself as she stood there. A cock pit made up her chest area, jet wings hung like stiff drapes from her hips, and her lower legs were made up of thrusters sided with what she guessed were tail fins. Her armor was all painted white. This wasn't right._

_"What am I?" she breathed, holding her hands before her face. Focusing past her hands, she saw between the energy bars of an active cell. A small figure was crouched at the far end of the cell. It looked at her with glowing baby blue eyes. Studying the prisoner more, she saw bat wings attached to its heels and what amazed her the most was that this Transformer had hair. Real hair, flicked over one side of the face like long bangs._

_"Shadowrazor," it said in a clearly adolescent male voice. She thought she could detect a slight scratchiness to his voice. "Please, listen to me. You have to remember who you really are. You have to remember me, remember dad."_

_Shadowrazor? That wasn't her name. She knew who she was. What was he talking about?_

_The mech got to his feet and came near to her. She could tell right off that he was young, barely even a teenager. Who was he? He reached his hands through the bars, his spindly fingers taking hold of her own hands. He looked desperately up at her, seeming to beg her to remember something that she had no clue about._

_"You..." She tilted her head to one side, beginning to loose herself in deep thought. "You seem so familiar somehow... but..."_

_The mech's whole being lit up with hopefulness. He went to say something else but his voice and image, and that of the prison, swirled into blackness before_ Starfeather opened her optics to see Terrorsaur's face above her. He smiled at her.

"Wakie, wakie, sleepy head," he crooned, pinching her cheek and lightly shaking it. She grimaced, lightly slapping him off and sitting up.

"I had the weirdest dream," she mumbled as she rubbed the sleepiness from her optics. "I think I was a jet and I was in this prison only I wasn't in prison. There was this guy in one of the cells. He said..." She paused, suddenly feeling awkward under Terrorsaur's skeptical gaze. "H-he said that I had to... remember who I was and who he was and who his dad was or something. And he said my name was Shadow... Shadow-something."

"You? Having 'shadow' in your name?" the red mech chuckled. "You're nothing like a shadow. Maybe the double energon rations are going to your head." He then got up and headed for the door.

She sighed, "Yeah, I guess..." and followed him. For the rest of the day, Starfeather couldn't shake the feeling that it was more than just too much energon.

**AN:** Cookies to who ever guesses correctly who the bot in Star's dream was. Did I make it too obvious? lol


	31. New Faces Part 1: Trial and Error

**#31 - New Faces **

**Part 1: Trial and Error**

**AN:** Alright, I'm going to be bringing in several new OCs. Some will have rolls in the story and some will just be fillers. They won't be based on the toy line or comic characters. They are my own. Don't be afraid to tell me if you think they're Mary-Sues or whatever, I can take it. Just be nice and reasonable about it, 'kay? 'Kay.

It had been a mad dash to the river. Currently, the stasis pod was at the bottom of the river. Terrorsaur could see Megatron and what remained of his crew all too clearly on the other riverbank, all lined up and in their respective beast forms. He and Waspinator were as well. Their former leader stared them down.

"Ah Terrorsaur and Waspinator, how good to see you again," he greeted them in a silky manner.

The pterodactyl gritted his teeth. "I missed you too, _sir_," he ground out.

Waspy, however, chose not to play along. "Hmph, Wazzpinator not mizzz Megatron."

Ignoring the wasp, Megatron continued. "Quite, yes. So tell me, my old minions, just why you chose to join the loosing side?"

"On the contrary, Megatron," Terrorsaur scoffed. "The Maximals have won ninety percent of the battles we've fought since landing here. I don't know why I didn't leave sooner."

"Or did you just leave because of my dearest's influence on you?" By now, the Predacon leader had dropped his sickeningly sweet disposition, replaced by a dark and bitter tone.

If Terrorsaur's beast mode had fur, it would all be standing on end. "Starfeather is _not_ yours and has _never_ been yours! And no, she had almost nothing to with it." This was not true, but even though he was on the Maximal side for now, Terrorsaur was not going to admit what he once thought were weak emotions to his ex-commander.

Megatron narrowed his eyes. "Hmm, indeed. In any case, Terrorsaur, you are on the enemy side now and, as you can see, you are out numbered, _yes_."

Now the pterodactyl put on a cheeky grin. "I beg to differ."

At his words, Optimus Primal and Airazor leaped out from the brush behind himself and Waspinator. Megatron growled in irritation. "Predacons: attack!" he bellowed. Immediately, both Maximals and Predacons took to their robot forms. Inferno went airborne and met Terrorsaur head on.

"Traitor! You shall buuuuurrrn!"

Meanwhile, the other fliers got to the other bank to properly combat their opponents. Waspinator held his own against Blackarachnia, Airazor darted around Tarantulas, Optimus and Megatron were going strong. Wait a minute, where was Scorponok?

At the bottom of the river, of course. When Megatron had given the order to attack, Scorponok slipped under the gently lapping waves and swam down, feeling and scanning his way toward the stasis pod. Once there, he went to his dirty work. The pod searched for a suitable form, commenced replication, and the hatch opened.

Poor Scorponok could have jumped right out of his mainframe when a pair of long, tooth filled jaws snapped at his face. He flailed his limbs to swim up to the surface, the newborn crocodile gaining on him effortlessly. He broke the surface and, to his dismay, watched hopelessly as Waspinator fell right on top of him just as the crocodile opened its mouth to take a chunk from his leg.

If one could see through the murky river water, one would see the comical sight of Scorponok's backside shoved deep in the mouth of the croc. Its eyes widened and it spit out the scorpion, shaking its head to clear its sight of little flashing lights. Enraged now, it growled and propelled its self at the two robots struggling in the slow current to get away. They weren't built for maneuverability in the water.

"I'll teach you to trespass on my territory, mates," the crocodile hissed in a slightly deep feminine voice with a hint of an Australian accent. She propelled herself at the green and yellow one. Waspinator saw it coming and spun to the side. The she-croc missed and flew from the water, landing squarely on Optimus Primal's back. He grunted when he hit the ground, the air knocked clean out of him.

She-croc lashed around, hissing angrily, her jaws snapping. Having only bitten air in her blind rage, she had had quite enough. "Deltasurge: Terrorize!" she roared. Her legs folded against the side of her body as her underbelly opened up and folded back. Slender yet sturdy robotic legs and high-heeled feet stood firmly on Optimus's back and arms appeared with clenched fists. Her crocodile head folded down onto her prominent chest as she stood upright and her dark pink metallic face was revealed, blood red optics flaring. Her tail remained and she pulled out a long thin sword from her back and dug her heels into Primal's back, satisfied with the pained groans he emitted. She was no bigger than Rattrap but the rodent (or Dinobot) wasn't there to comment on that aspect.

Deltasurge glared around at the astonished stares she was receiving. "Anyone else want some of this?" she taunted, pointing her sword at Megatron's chest plate, just daring him to flinch. He did not flinch and remained calm.

"Feisty one, aren't you?" he remarked smoothly, waving her sword away as if it were a fly. "Predacons: retreat!" He then took hold of the new Predacon around her waist like a child, trapping her arms at her sides. She dropped her sword from the sudden movement.

"Hey!" she protested, writhing in his grasp as he moved away from the battle field. "Lemme go ya big fragger!"

The other Predacons took their leave, Scorponok being courteous enough to pick up the crocodile's weapon as he fled, still dripping wet. The Maximals were simply too stunned to react. What they had witnessed was rather bizarre.

Optimus got to his feet, having regained his wits, and looked over his team mates with a solemn expression. No one was seriously hurt which was something to be thankful for. "You all did your best. Back to base, men," he ordered.

-x-

By the time the base was in sight, Megatron had reached his rope's end. Even though he had passed their newest member on to Inferno, her screaming and endless cursing was really pulling at his wires. _I hope this one is worth the effort, yes._

Once inside, Megatron took his place in his command chair and signaled for the fire ant to set Deltasurge on her feet but keep a hold on her. She had stopped running her vocalizer for the moment. She showed her pointed teeth to Inferno and Megatron, gnashing in their directions like a feral animal. The other Predacons stood off at a distance to watch the initiation.

"Tell me my good Deltasurge," the Predacon leader began. "Do you remember anything of your prior life before landing here?"

She snarled at him, having half a mind not to answer. Why should she? She didn't know where she was or who the Pit these morons were. "All I know is that I was jerked awake, I'm on some Primus-forsaken planet and have been kidnapped by a bunch of aft heads!" she spat. "And you made me lose my sword!"

"Actually," Scorponok stepped forward and held her sword up to the light so that she could see it clearer. Some of her bitterness evaporated at seeing her prized possession.

"Hmph, at least one of you mechs has an ounce of decency," she muttered, twitching her tail in gratitude. _This tail will take some getting used to..._

Despite himself, the scorpion couldn't hide a sheepish smile at her compliment.

"Yes..." Megatron murmured. "At any rate, I'm sure you are wondering why you are here."

"_Yeah_," she replied slowly.

He then went on to explain that she was a member of a Predacon rebellion. She, as well as other members of the rebellion, had been placed into stasis pods to ensure safe transport to Earth. There, they would be reactivated and acquire enough energy and supplies to take over Cybertron. However, some Maximals became wise to their plans and perused them to this unknown planet. For their safety, the stasis pods had been ejected into the planet's atmosphere until they could be recovered but their orbits were decaying. They were currently stuck here with their Maximal enemies until the war was won and they could rebuild a ship

Deltasurge was not in the slightest bit convinced but what else could she do? "Okay then, sir." She nodded. "Could you have hot shot here lemme go now?"

Megatron nodded his head to Inferno to do as said. The fire ant released her and she brushed herself free of any dust and dirt that might have collected on her pink and brown armor. "That's more like it. Now for my sword?" She held out her hand, slender pointed digits beckoning for the Second to come nearer, flashing him a charming grin.

He did so and somewhat nervously presented the crocodile her primary weapon. She took it and winked her thanks at him as she put the sword away. Despite getting a mouthful of his aft, she concluded that he wasn't such a bad guy. After all, he was the only one who thought to pick up her sword. Maybe being stuck here wasn't going to be so bad if cuties like him had signed up for this crazy rebellion thing.

Megatron concluded the initiation and dismissed his men. They scattered to go about their duties, leaving Megatron to his plans, Inferno to stand by his queen to do his bidding, and Deltasurge standing where she was. Scorponok was taking his time in making his exit. The crocodile took the opportunity and approached him.

"Y'know, I don't exactly know my way around here," Deltasurge said, adopting a seductive tone. "Maybe you could show me around?"

He could feel his claws and knees beginning to quiver under her gaze. To think that about an hour before, she had almost bitten his face off and would have been more than happy to scrap him. "S-sure," He suddenly straightened up, puffing out his chest with confidence at realizing what he had. "Where would you like to start?"

"Oh, where ever you want to." She wrapped her arms around one of his. She could feel his body temperature spike and watched him struggle to control his quaking claws. She giggled in amusement.

This was going to be fun.

-x-

It had only been a couple of weeks and already another stasis pod had crashed. A brisk wind swept over the prairie land, rippling the long grass and what few wild flowers that were not blown clean of their petals. The sky was overcast but rain was not part of the equation.

This time, Optimus was not present for the recovery mission. Cheetor, Terrorsaur, Dinobot, and Rattrap had been sent out. Terrorsaur was flying ahead to scout out his former comrades. Zooming in on the area around the rising smoke of the crash site, he could see all of the Predacons approaching.

"We gotta full menu," he called back to the others. "Megatron brought everyone to the picnic."

"Too bad I ain't all that hungry," Rattrap grumbled sarcastically.

There was almost no hesitation this time. The Predacons dove directly into combat. Inferno busied himself with firing madly upon the traitors to the colony and Cheetor and Rattrap were pinned back to back by the spiders, Deltasurge, and Megatron. Hang on... Scorponok is missing again.

Oh there he is, sneaking his way toward the pod. No wait, Terrorsaur spotted him.

"Oh no you don't," he yelled, evading the fire ant and soaring toward the scorpion.

Cheetor was able to get a fix on what was going on. Terrorsaur was going to be the hero and he would get left out in the cold. Well he wasn't having any of this. He was going to be the one to save the pod and impress Starfeather. Forcing himself out of the fray, leaving Rattrap to fend for himself and shouting after him, Cheetor attempted to lunge and take out the scorpion. Terrorsaur didn't see him in time and they crashed together, effectively taking each other out.

Now out of harm's way, Scorponok was free to what he needed. This time while performing the reformatting process, the scorpion stood back a little from the hatch, just to be safe. Who knew what kind of critter could jump out and claw him to death? The pod searched for a suitable form, commenced replication, and the hatch opened.

Instead of an explosion of teeth, a dark green pachysufalosaurus gradually lifted its boney head and took in its surroundings. It eyed Scorponok with suspicion but emerged fully from its pod. Sea green stripes laced from the back of its head down to the tail where they solidified at the tip.

The Maximals were helpless to the situation, barely even holding the Predacons back. Once Megatron was aware of the new Predacon, he called a retreat. By this time, Cheetor and Terrorsaur were regaining consciousness. Dinobot bore tell-tail scorch marks and Rattrap was... where _was_ Rattrap?

Terrorsaur was the first to notice after shaking his head vigorously to clear his vision. The cheetah took the brunt of the impact hence he was still in a dazed state.

"Hey, where'd Rattrap go?" the red mech wondered as he glanced around the area.

"From what I observed," Dinobot said. "Cheetor was pinned with him back to back by Megatron, Deltasurge, and the spiders. He might have been captured."

"But I ran into Cheetor, so..." Terrorsaur trailed off and looked out to where he thought he last saw the rodent. "Look." And look they did. When Dinobot and Terrorsaur crested the small hill, they found Rattrap's body covered with laser and stab wounds. He was in stasis lock.

"I'll get him to base and tell Optimus what happened," Terrorsaur looked back at Cheetor, who was just now sitting up, and narrowed his optics. Foolish youngling; what did he think he was doing, leaving Rattrap to fight Megatron _and_ three other Predacons alone? He carefully lifted the smaller injured mech into his arms and took off, forcing his jets to full momentum.

-x-

Currently, the newest Predacon was standing coolly before Megatron. The dinosaur hadn't said a word so far to the Predacon leader's pleasure. This was certainly a far cry from Deltasurge's arrival.

"Would you be so kind as to tell us your designation?" Megatron requested of the pachysufalosaurus.

"Designation..." it began in a clearly masculine yet soft tone. He paused to ponder on his own name, having no recollection at even having one to begin with. "Designation: G-Force, sir."

"G-Force," Megatron tested the name and found it agreeable. "Would you care to transform for us?"

G-Force nodded in acknowledgment. Taking a step back, he voiced the activation code calmly. "G-Force: Terrorize." Parts of his body shifted and rearranged themselves until an imposing mech stood before the Predacons present. His light blue armor glinted in the dim lighting. His orange optics were fixated on his new commander as if seeking approval.

Deltasurge gave a low whistle from where she sat, lounged out on a stack of crates by Scorponok, twitching her thick tail. Blackarachnia made the motion of rolling her optics. The scorpion glanced at the pink and brown femme questioningly.

Megatron fingered his chin thoughtfully and went on with the questioning. "Now tell me, do you remember anything from your past life before this?"

When he answered no, Megatron told the same story he had to the crocodile. G-Force accepted it without question. After dismissing his soldiers, Megatron was feeling more confident about his situation. So far, he had successfully captured two protoforms straight without his flier squadron. Perhaps he still had a chance at victory, _yeeessss_.

-x-

G-Force, however, had doubted the words of Megatron. He did know that he had been assigned to a mission of some sort but he couldn't remember what. He knew he had been placed in charge of a small team of mechs to protect someone or something. He just couldn't remember what or who or where his team had ended up.

Upon choosing his quarters, he entered and inspected the room. A layer of dust had collected on everything and there was something under the desk. When he picked up the small object, it was a balled up piece of cream colored paper. When he unfolded it, he found writing in a language he didn't know. Deciding to decode the writing later, he put the paper in his subspace.

Looking under the recharge berth, he found a black feather. By now, he was certain someone had occupied this room before. Disposing of the feather and the thought, G-Force made himself comfortable on the berth before off-lining his optics.

-x-

Terrorsaur finally reached the Maximal base just as his body could take no more of the energon radiation. Everyone was shocked at the sight of the rodent. Rhinox asked no questions but went straight to work on stabilizing Rattrap before he could be placed in the C.R. chamber.

Terrorsaur did his best to explain the story. Optimus was very disappointed, Airazor was speechless, but Starfeather felt sick. She knew why Cheetor had acted so rashly. She took Optimus aside and voiced her suspicions. He had suspected the same things and comforted her. Rattrap was going to be fine and all this wasn't her fault.

"Somehow I doubt that, sir," she mumbled to herself when the gorilla had turned away. She clenched her fists. Why did Cheetor have to be so- so... She couldn't find a word to describe him. She couldn't put it off any longer; she had to talk to him now before someone else was seriously hurt or... killed.

-x-

He knew he was in for the Pit when he got back to the base. Dinobot not saying a word since Terrorsaur left didn't make things any better. Cheetor was trailing behind the raptor, putting as much distance as he dared between them. The more they walked in silence, the more he realized how stupid he had been. His want to try to win Starfeather's affections might have cost Rattrap his life.

When the base came into sight, Cheetor set his mind anew. He wasn't going to slink into the base with his head down and tail drooping. He was going to march right in and take full responsibility for his actions. That would certainly get the raven's attention.

Once inside, Dinobot took his leave. Cheetor stood alone on the lift and looked around the empty command center. The C.R. chamber was running so that must mean Rattrap was in there.

The quiet sound of someone clearing their throat caused him to look in the direction of the main entrance. Optimus was standing there. He had possibly the most serious look on his face that the cheetah had ever seen. His confidence suddenly evaporated and he swallowed.

"Big Bot...?"

"Normally Cheetor, I would confine you to quarters in punishment for your actions," Optimus began. "But it's not my place to intervene in my men's personal matters unless requested to. In which case, I'll let you two work this out."

Starfeather stepped out from behind the Maximal leader. Her face was a mixture of emotions, but the one most prominent was guilt. Cheetor wondered why she would be guilty. She didn't do anything at all.

Optimus motioned for them to go somewhere where they could talk privately. Starfeather took the lead and led him to one of the larger storage bays, loaded with equipment that they hadn't needed to use yet. Once the big doors shut behind them, she turned to face him, her guilt seemingly gone, replaced by utter fury.

"What has gotten in to you lately?" she began, letting her anger lace her tone. "Ever since I gave up being a spy and came here, you've been acting like a jerk."

Cheetor didn't know how to respond. Had his actions really pushed her that far away from him? "I, uh..."

"I've tried to let you down easy but now you leave me no choice," She paused to make sure it was sinking in. "Cheetor, you're a good friend... but that's all we are. We might have shared something special one night not so long ago, but it's over now."

He didn't want to believe what he was hearing. "So what do you expect me to do? Forget about you? I don't think so," he snapped.

"No," she retorted. "I just want you to understand that I don't love you in a passionate way. I'll love you like a friend or even like a brother if you like. I want you to accept the fact that my affections are elsewhere. Please Cheetor, two people have already been hurt by our problems. I don't want that to happen again." By this time, she had taken his hands in her own, looking into his golden optics, pleading with him to let her go.

He gazed back at her, unable to form words. He didn't know how to let her go. He didn't want to let her go. He also didn't want anyone else to suffer on their behalf. He dropped his gaze to the floor, overwhelmed by shame.

Slowly, Starfeather pulled him into a hug. She pressed the side of her face against his. "If you say you love me, you'll want me to be happy. Please Cheetor... do this for me," she breathed into his audio receiver.

He held her tightly to him, savoring the feeling of her body against his. He felt tears prick at his optics and he blinked them back. He drank in her sweet scent, like a bed of fresh grass on a spring day. He knew she was right, he knew what he had to do now.

When they finally parted, they parted as friends.

**AN:** To get an idea of G-Force's transformation, check out a video of a (or if you already have one) universe Dinobot figure review on YouTube. Of course, the head, hands, and other features are different. Force isn't really supposed to look like Dinobot but hey, I'm not all that creative with original transformation sequences.


	32. New Faces Part 2: Conspiracy

**#32 - New Faces **

**Part 2: Conspiracy**

Terrorsaur took the opportunity while Starfeather was distracted, talking with Waspinator and Cheetor in the energon storage room. He located Airazor walking down a corridor away from the main control room. _This is so humiliating._ The thought crossed his mind briefly before he jogged to catch up to her. "Hey Airazor!"

She stopped and turned to him. "Yes?"

"Can I, uh... ask you for a big favor?" he asked, feeling more awkward than he ever did in his life.

Airazor gave him a strange look. "That depends on what it is," she replied.

"Do you know how to..." He couldn't bring himself to say the next word. He took a deep breath and tried again. "Do you know how to dance?"

She was taken aback by this question but regained herself enough to answer. "Yes, a little bit. Why-"

"Don't ask, please." He cut her off. "Could you teach me? In private?"

The falcon had absolutely no clue what to say. She knew Terrorsaur was still touchy about when they had first met (and wouldn't let her forget that she had blown him nearly to pieces), now here he was asking her to teach him how to dance. Whatever for, she had a theory or two, but she didn't have the spark to say no. Especially if her theories proved true.

"Alright, I'll teach you," she agreed, though a bit reluctantly.

-x-

A few days passed and another stasis pod was coming down. Optimus wanted to be sure that this one would be rescued from Megatron's clutches. He called a meeting to discus strategies.

Optimus Primal stood before his comrades. He looked at the ex-Pred fliers and Dinobot in particular. "Alright men," he began, authority evident in his tone. "Two stasis pods have fallen within a month. We lost both of them. Does anyone have any suggestions as to why?"

"I have a theory if anyone cares about my opinion," Terrorsaur spoke up. When Primal nodded in his direction, he continued. "I was at both failed recovery missions and I noticed something. Megatron himself came and he brought every single one of his men with him both times. And how many of us came? Four."

Everyone either nodded or murmured in agreement. Feeling encouraged that everyone was following him, the pterodactyl went on. "I think ol' Megs has gotten desperate since me, Waspinator, and Starfeather bailed. So, he wants to make sure that he gets every single protoform that falls."

Optimus realized Terrorsaur was right. Who was to say that Megatron wouldn't behave the same way this time? He needed to act accordingly to this information.

-x-

Optimus decided to give Megatron a taste of his own medicine. All of the ground units were running below him and the fliers on either side of him. They were heading in the same general direction as when Tigatron had landed. The air grew chill and soon, they were racing through the snow. Fortunately, the sky was clear so there was no billowing snow to travel through.

Waspinator and Airazor flew ahead to watch for the Predacons. Sure enough, every single one of them was coming down a snowdrift about a mile ahead. They could also see the pod to their left a few hundred meters ahead. The pod's initial fall had been cushioned by snow but it had crash into the base of a rock face.

The two factions confronted each other. Inferno took on all three of the ex-Predacon fliers, Airazor and Cheetor pinned Tarantulas and Scorponok, Rattrap was holding his own just fine against Blackarachnia, Tigatron was taking on G-Force, Optimus and Megatron were having at it, and Dinobot and Deltasurge were crossing blades.

Dinobot felt there was something ghostly familiar about the she-croc. Her fighting style was most familiar to him. Then it came to him. He had trained along side this femme stellarcycles ago when he was a youngling, still learning how to best use a sword. He gave nothing of his recognition away as they dueled.

He soon discovered that she had picked up some new moves since they had last met. Orchid had been her name back then. The name still seemed to suit her; she was still as fluid and graceful in her movements as he remembered, and she was still flaunting herself. He found that he could care less about her intended sexual appeal as he always had. He had never been one to look at femmes in the way they seemed to want a mech to.

After several minutes, Blackarachnia got tired of the rat's jabbering and just locked him in a coil of webs. It would take him a while to get out of that and, while the other Maximals were distracted, she could easily get to the pod and reprogram the protoform inside.

It went down without a hitch and, after the pod found a suitable life form, the new Predacon emerged. Large white wings speckled with black burst open the hatch to reveal a snowy owl, its yellow eyes wide and ebony hooked beak open in a screech of surprise.

All fighting stopped to see what the commotion was about. The owl scanned the faces before it and fluffed up its feathers defensively.

Megatron took this chance. "Predacons: retreat!" he bellowed, transforming to his beast form. The other Predacons took advantage of their stunned opponents before also shifting to their alternate modes and following their leader. The owl looked confused for a moment before spreading its wings and following after the Predacons.

Optimus was crestfallen. He had been so sure that they could save one of their slumbering crew members in full force like they were now. He took a deep breath, reminding himself that they still had a chance to gain them back. He just hoped that Megatron wouldn't uncover the most dangerous protoform they carried.

-x-

The snowy owl caught up to its new Predacon companions and flew along side Inferno. They went in silence for a while before the owl spoke up in a clearly soft female voice. "Who hoo are you?" she asked of the fire ant.

"I am Inferno, servant of the royalty," he answered proudly. "What is your designation, drone?"

"I am..." She paused, realizing that her current name didn't suit her form. She quickly analyzed the statistics of her beast form, coming up with something she liked. "I am Moonscope."

The fire ant grunted in approval. The rest of the journey was silent on their part. Some of the others traveling on the ground talked amongst themselves. When they reached home base, Moonscope was shocked at the condition of the crashed ship. Something was not right.

However, the explanation she received by Megatron seemed to put her mind to ease. She soon made herself useful around the base, becoming the go-to maintenance 'bot for injuries rather than the C.R. tank. However, as the weeks passed, she couldn't shake the feeling that something still wasn't right.

-x-

So far, the new Predacons had adjusted well to their surroundings and comrades. They also discovered what specialties they possessed. Deltasurge understood weather patterns better than anyone, G-Force was an expert tactician, and Moonscope became the unspoken medical officer. Being a medic, and also by nature, she could tell if something was troubling someone.

During her first week, she had identified that something was troubling G-Force. He never talked to anyone, he preferred to be alone, and he spent most of his free time trying to decipher some writing on a piece of wrinkled paper.

One day, she approached him. He was at one of the computers, skimming through all known language files. So far, none of them matched the physique of the one on the paper.

"You hoo are very withdrawn," the snowy owl said when she came up behind him. Much like some of the other beast warriors, Moonscope was plagued with a speech impediment. To words with the "oo" sound, a soft hoot usually followed. She had no control over it, like Waspinator had no control over his buzzing speech.

The hard-headed saurian only grunted in response, not even glancing at the medic.

Silence continued for several minutes, filled only with the soft hum of the computer systems until Moonscope spoke again. "I can't help but wonder what you hoo, are trying to decode. I might be of some help," she offered.

This time he looked her way. He eyed her suspiciously but handed her the paper. Nodding her thanks, Moonscope looked over the alien words. She found it was a human language by the physique of the letters and she could understand most of it. She gathered that this was a discarded entry to a journal of some kind. "The name of this language escapes me but... I do hoo know what this says."

G-Force looked up from the screen. "What does it say?" he asked simply.

She read over it one more than one time to make sure she fully understood the contents then read allowed. This is what it read:

_Date N/A_

_Dear Diary,_

_My mind is made up. Whether Terrorsaur or Waspinator come with me or not, I'm leaving. I can't take another day of lies and harming the Maximals' cause. I'd be more of a help to them if I were actually among them._

_I doubt Terrorsaur will come with me after what I pulled. I was so stupid to think that he could take a little embarrassment like a scribble on his face. I forgot he prided his face. Guys..._

_My only question is why a Sharpie marker doesn't stick to our armor plating... Yeah, not relevant but I would like to know_

It baffled Moonscope as to why the writing stopped there. Perhaps the writer decided that this had not been a suitable entry to their diary. She wondered who had written it in the first place. She didn't know of anyone else who could possibly read or write human languages.

"Does it say who wrote it?" G-Force asked.

The medic shook her head. "No, there is no signature." She handed the paper back to him. "Where did you hoo find this?"

He paused before answering. "In my quarters... Computer," he called quietly. "Who occupied room B-5 in the quartering bay before I did?"

"Unit: Starfeather. Recently defected to Maximal allegiance," the ship's computer answered. The two looked at each other, realizing what they had just discovered. This Starfeather, and possibly Terrorsaur and Waspinator, had been a spy. They wondered of they should inform Megatron about this but decided not to. It was their duty but why bother now? They were with the Maximals now hence it didn't matter anymore.

In order to hide the evidence, G-Force stowed the paper in his subspace. He made a mental note return it to its rightful owner.

**AN:** Oops. I didn't describe Moonscope. Well... she looks like the other bird ladies only her head looks like she has on an old style nurse hat (or like Animated Red Alert).


	33. New Faces Part 3: Lost and Found

**#33 - New Faces **

**Part 3: Lost and Found**

A few days later, Starfeather was left guessing as to why Terrorsaur was taking her back up north, though not as far as where the latest pod had fallen. The trip had been quiet for the most part except for when she had been begging for him to tell her where they were going. He hadn't said a word, only gave her a mischievous look. She had finally decided to play along and followed him without bugging him.

When he landed unexpectedly, she circled back and landed beside him. He stretched out his wing and directed her attention to the scenery. She looked and her breath was swept away. From above, it hadn't been as impressive. Now, standing in the middle of it, she better see the sparkle of the stars on the surface of the frozen lake. The snow and icicles were turned to quicksilver in the moonlight.

She turned back to Terrorsaur, delight reflected in her raven eyes. "It's beautiful," she breathed.

He smiled. "I thought you'd like it, but this is only the half of it." He shifted to robot form and she followed suit. He took her hands and looked into her gleaming face. "Pick a song."

Starfeather was confused. "A song?"

He nodded. "Any song, just make it slow paced."

_Slow paced? Okay... Hmm... _"Okay, now what?"

"Do you have your blue thingy?"

"My iPod?"

"Yeah, that thing."

She took it from her subspace and held it out. "What are you going to do?" she asked.

"Select the song and give it to me," he instructed. She gave him a curious stare before doing so and handing him her prized possession. He took it and shifted his fingertip so that he could access the device's memory. After downloading the song that was shown on screen, he handed it back to her.

Starfeather continued to give him a curious look. "Terrorsaur, what are you doing?"

"Just hang on," he muttered as he took something from his subspace and attached it to his shoulder.

When Starfeather heard the music begin to play, she guessed it was a speaker connected to himself. But why?

He bowed and held out his hand to her. "May I have this dance?" he asked, stressing a British gentleman tone of voice which sounded very strange coming from him.

She flushed and giggled but curtsied as best she could. "The pleasure is mine, my good sir," she replied, also mimicking a British accent.

Taking hold of each others' hands, Terrorsaur held Starfeather where Airazor taught him to and began waltzing with the raven in time to the music toward the frozen lake, starting slow and going faster as the beat of the music did. Once the vocalist began singing, they reached the frosty edge.

**I'm here again  
A thousand miles**** away from you  
A broken mess**

**Just scattered pieces of who I am  
**

Terrorsaur guided Starfeather over the ice, smooth as glass. She almost lost her footing a few times but he was there to hold her up.

**I tried so hard  
Thought I could do this on my own  
I've lost s****o much along the way  
**

Starfeather actually only had a vague idea of how to dance but the waltz wasn't too hard. Besides, this was fun.

**Then I**** see your face  
I know I'm finally yours  
I find everything I thought I lost before  
You call my name  
I come to you in pieces  
So you can make me whole  
**

As Terrorsaur listened to the lyrics, he gave Starfeather a wiry look. "Any more songs like this on that iPod?"

She grinned at him. "Yeah, but I really like this one right now," she replied and gave him a peck on the cheek.

**I've come undone  
But you make sense of who I am  
Like puzz****le pieces in your hand  
**

As the music's pace changed, so did their style of skate dancing. It morphed from a waltz to more of a tame form of swing, especially when the guitar intensified.

**Then I**** see your face  
I know I'm finally yours  
I find everything I thought I lost before  
You call my name  
I come to you in pieces  
So you can make me whole...  
**

Terrorsaur would hold on tight to her hand when she pulled back to swing around him. Then he would twirl her around in a tight spiral. She giggled coming out of it, desperately clinging to her sense of balance.

When the drums came in, he took her around the waist and tossed her up. She made the motion of flying before coming back down into his arms. They went faster over the lake, weaving back and forth. They broke away from each other, continuing to zigzag toward and away from each other.

**I tried so hard!**

**So hard!  
I tried so hard****...!  
**

As the vocalist sung his heart out, they locked their hands together and spun around, faster and faster, then let go again, spinning on their own before coming back together. They went slow again as the song came to a close.

**Then I**** see your face  
I know I'm finally yours  
I find everything I thought I lost before  
You call my name  
I come to you in pieces  
So you can make me whole  
So you can make me whole...**

When the music stopped, so did they. Terrorsaur took the personal speaker from his back and put it away while Starfeather fixed him with a playfully suspicious glare, arms crossed.

"Where did you learn to dance like that?" she demanded.

"Oh," He turned around and headed for the bank. "A little birdy taught me."

_So,_ the raven concluded. _He either had no idea what he was doing just now or Airazor taught him._ She hummed to herself as she followed him back to the shore. "I'll have to thank that birdy when I find her."

He laughed but didn't turn around until she caught up to him. They went and sat under the nearest tree to watch the moons travel through the midnight sky. After a while, Terrorsaur turn to her.

"What do I say to you exactly?" he asked.

Starfeather was confused. "Um, I love you?"

"Well, yeah that, but isn't there something..." He tried to piece together what he was trying to say. "What do I say to you for your birthday?"

Now she understood what all this was about. "Oh, you say 'happy birthday' and give me a piece of cake."

"I don't have any cake..."

Starfeather laughed and kissed him. "Hey, you're sweeter than any cake in the world," she cooed. "Thank you."

That seemed to perk him up and he grinned crookedly back at her. "Happy birthday, inky," he said, ruffling the feathers on her helm with his hand.

"Hey!" she squealed, fending off his hand and franticly smoothing her feathers back out.

He suddenly got an idea. "Hang on," he muttered as he brought his hands to her face and felt up her jaw line between her face plate and helm, feeling for something. She pulled away with a squeak.

"Stop! That tickles." She rubbed her jaw free of the uncomfortable sensation. "What were you doing?"

"Hold still and I'll show you," he replied and felt the sides of her face again. She strained to hold still until she heard a click and her head suddenly weighed less. She watched the amazed and admiring look that came over him. "Look at yourself," he murmured.

Feeling strange but curious all the same, she did so. Going to the lake shore, she scrapped away the snow and gasped at her reflection on the ice. Something fell into her face and she swung her head to get it out the way, something she hadn't needed to do in the longest time. She didn't believe it was real until she ran her fingers through it.

Silvery blue fibrous strands had been concealed beneath her helmet this whole time. Her 'hair' was exactly the same style as it had been when she was human. She looked back at Terrorsaur. "Why didn't you show me sooner?" she wondered.

He shrugged. "I didn't think of it sooner. Now if you're done admiring yourself..." Starfeather came back and gave him a hug and a kiss to thank him for showing her this.

She pulled back after a while and asked, "How did you know this was here?"

He smiled as he teased with the strands by her face. "All femmes have filaments. Some don't wear their helmets and flaunt their filament styles but those are usually upper class femmes or models," he explained.

"I'm never going to stop learning about this race, am I?" she asked, leaning into his hand. Terrorsaur chuckled as he ruffled her 'hair'.

-x-

The computer told her she could emerge now. She heard the latch click and the door opened slightly, briefly hissing with the pressure. A major draft surrounded her already shaking form despite the thick white coat she now possessed. Lifting her nose, she sniffed the icy winds, shocked how much more she could smell. It was all so new and thrilling. Too bad she was too scared to really appreciate it.

Deciding that she might be able to find help, she stood up, trying out her new paws. Slowly, she crept out from the pod. Frozen water flakes and freezing wind blasted her face. She shrunk back but tried again and stepped outside her refuge.

White was all she could see all around her. There were no buildings, no statues, sculpts, or monuments, no vehicles, and no people. She suddenly felt as tiny as a nanoroach. She huddled in the snow and wrapped her new fluffy tail around herself.

She sniffled and wiped her nose with the back of her paw. "Momma," she whimpered. "I'm sorry I snuck off. P-please... come get me."

-x-

Another week came and went and another stasis pod was coming down. Fortunately, it was in Maximal territory. However, Optimus knew that this wouldn't stop Megatron.

Optimus chose the same tactic as the last time, taking everyone on the recovery mission. The pod had landed in a rainforest. Travel was slow going for the ground units. To compromise this problem, Optimus suggested that himself and the fliers carry the lightest of the ground units while the others caught up.

Of course, the only ones that could rationally be carried were Rattrap, Cheetor, and Tigatron. Optimus, Terrorsaur, and Waspinator couldn't fly as fast with passengers but the whole team was moving much quicker. Airazor and Starfeather went on ahead.

When the femmes got there, they saw that the pod had landed safely rather than crashing and was activating on its own. A colony of bright blue humming birds hummed and buzzed around in agitation at being disturbed. The pod scanned one of the little birds and soon enough, the hatch burst open.

A much larger blue humming bird zoomed out and up from the pod, spiraling high into the sky. Airazor and Starfeather watched as it came back down and stopped suddenly, hovering in mid air before them like helicopter.

"Hiya," it greeted in a high female voice and looked down at herself. "Wow, this alt. is awesome." She looked back at the two Maximal birds. "Yours' aren't bad either. I'm Bluesprite, aerial scout unit. Who are you guys? My memory's a little fogy."

"Bluesprite?" Starfeather repeated. If this was the Bluesprite she was thinking of, was Terrorsaur in for a surprise or what?

"Don't wear it out," Bluesprite chirped and looked around. "So... where is everybody?"

"They should be right behind us," Airazor answered, glancing back the way they'd come. "I'm Airazor by the way, and this is Starfeather."

"Nice to meet you," Bluesprite bowed her head. "Okay so... what's going on? Where's Optimus?"

"Apparently he has not made his dramatic appearance yet, yes," a new deeper voice joined in. Bluesprite whirled around while the two other birds leaped from their perches, transforming to robot mode in the process. Megatron chuckled darkly as the rest of his men lined up behind him.

Airazor scowled, pointing her wrist mounted arrow missiles. "You lost, Megatron. The pod was activating when we got here."

"True," The Predacon leader titled his head to one side. "But I can still destroy it, along with the two of you! Predacons: attack!"

Airazor and Starfeather drew back just as the Optimus, Terrorsaur, and Waspinator arrived with Rattrap, Cheetor, and Tigatron. Bluesprite on the other hand soared up straight into the sky. Despite not having the slightest inkling about the situation, she had only one solution and that was: shoot this weirdy named Megatron and help beat off his gang.

"Bluesprite: Maximize!" she commanded. Her bird body opened up and folded its self back and around. She flipped herself over and, her transformation complete, she pulled out a laser riffle and activated her shoulder cannons. "Look out boys cuz here I come!" she shouted, bright green optics flashing, before diving down into the fray.

The Predacons were shocked by the new Maximal's aggressiveness to match Deltasurge. Combined with the rest of the Maximals, Megatron wisely called it quits and retreated. With the threat gone, Bluesprite received a handshake and proper explanation from Primal.

However, during the introductions, Terrorsaur shrank back subtly and the humming bird gave Waspinator a weird look. "Say your name again," she requested.

"Um... Wazpinator glad to meet blue Bird-bot?" the wasp repeated his greeting uncertainly. The next thing he knew, he was on his back on the ground in a neck breaking hug.

"Greenwasp!" Bluesprite exclaimed. "I missed ya so much lil' bro!"

This earned a few chuckles from the other Maximals. Rattrap was dumbfounded for a moment. "Man, how many siblin's do you guys have?" he finally said.

"Sizzy bot get off Wazzpinator pleazzze," Waspinator choked out.

"Oh, sorry." Bluesprite got up and helped her younger brother to his feet. "So, how'd you end up here? I don't remember your name on the mission board."

"I do hate to interrupt," Optimus said. "But there will be plenty of time to catch up once we return to base."

With that, everyone reverted to their beast forms and began the trek back to base.

Bluesprite could hardly contain herself. She zipped to and fro, looking at every plant and rock. She had never seen pure organic plants in this magnitude before or this big. The trees fascinated her; they were huge! Waspinator played as her silent shadow and Tigatron followed her as well, telling her what he knew about the landscape.

Starfeather was confused about Terrorsaur's shy behavior. Currently, he was doing his best to hide behind herself and Airazor. The raven swerved to be beside him. "Hey, why are you hiding?" she asked him quietly. "I thought you said Bluesprite was your sister?"

"She is," he hissed back. "But I'd rather not have her recognize me... not yet, anyway."

"Why?"

"Because..." He fought for an answer that he thought would satisfy her and stop further discussion on the subject. "Because I don't want to have to deal with her just yet... in front of everyone."

Starfeather could understand that. She nodded in acknowledgment and said no more.

-x-

She was freezing.

Even her fur, which was thick and comforting, still didn't keep her comfortably warm. She couldn't remember ever being so cold in her short life. Or so hungry. She was starving and if she didn't get energon soon, she knew she would shut down and might never come back online.

To make things worse, it felt like she was being stalked by the very animal she had for her beast mode. She could see it through the snow, only for a second. It would stare at her and vanish into thin air. She did not know this but the other animal she thought she was seeing was her beast mode instincts beginning to take over her processor. She had not transformed to her robotic form once since she came out of her pod.

"Momma, please," she cried from where she was curled up into a tight ball inside the stasis pod. "I'm here..." She had been taught all her life to stay put if she got lost and if she was hurt, to call for help. Yet her small, quaking voice was lost in the relentless tundra winds.

-x-

"I'm amazed that your memory circuits are still intact," Rhinox commented after he had run a routine systems scan on Bluesprite. He then turned to Airazor. "You say her pod activated on its own?"

The falcon nodded.

"Was that supposed to happen?" Starfeather asked.

"Yes, if it and the protoform inside were undamaged and if it detected active Maximal units near by," Optimus answered.

Starfeather nodded but Bluesprite had a question now. "I'm sure this is all fascinating and what not but I'm still confused. How did Greenwasp- I mean, _Waspinator_, end up here with us? Last I knew, he was a sweeper at Oilslick's Ship Yard."

There was an indignant grumble from the wasp at other end of the room but he offered no explanation so Optimus offered it. Starfeather on the other hand was thinking about the humming bird's last statement.

_Waspy used to be a janitor? Wow... I wonder what everyone else used to do before this?_

"So... who's Terrorsaur then?" Bluesprite's voice cut into the raven's thoughts. "Just some other random mech Megatron II picked off the street?"

"Yes, actually," Terrorsaur answered, warping his voice so it sounded low, not looking at her. "Gotta problem with me?"

Bluesprite stared at him. "Sort of..." He stared back at her, confusion prominent on his white face. She continued to stare at him, leaning closer as she looked deeper. Her face almost mirrored his own. "You seem familiar."

Terrorsaur backed away, holding his hands out in front of him. "I've never seen you in my life!" he retorted.

"What Terrorsaur talking about?" Waspinator asked. "Terrorsaur should know sizzy bot."

"Waspy, don't-" The pterodactyl braced himself.

That's when it clicked.

A wide grin of pure childish joy dawned on the blue femme's face. "ROSEJET!" she shrieked and leaped at her twin brother. Terrorsaur tried to move out of the way and make a run for it but he was too slow. In a nanoklick, he was on the ground being smothered to death in a breakneck hug.

Some of the others were laughing and snickering, at the spectacle mostly, but what Rattrap was laughing at was what Bluesprite had called Terrorsaur.

"Rosejet?" the rodent managed to say between laughing fits. "Your name was _Rosejet_? Hahahahahahahaa!"

Terrorsaur's face was turning red, not only because he was angry and embarrassed, but also because he wasn't getting any air. "Choking... not breathing..." he squeaked.

Bluesprite, on the other hand, was perfectly content. "Mmm, Rosy, I can't tell you how worried me and mom and dad were when you poofed that morning," she said, giving him a little squeeze. "I missed you _soooooo_ much!"

Rattrap was beside himself now, rolling on the floor. "Hahaha! Rosy!" He was laughing so hard, he was snorting. Cheetor was getting ready to fall down beside him.

Terrorsaur had had enough. He worked up all his strength and tore from Bluesprite's arms, throwing her off of him. He glared down at her. This was exactly why he hadn't wanted her to recognize him so soon. "Don't call me that!" he shouted before he rounded on Rattrap and Cheetor. "And stop laughing before I tare both your miserable heads off!"

Optimus, having contained his own chuckles, took control of the situation. "Terrorsaur, stand down," he ordered calmly.

His ego and his armor dented, Terrorsaur stormed out of the control room. Starfeather watched him leave, as well as Waspinator and Bluesprite, with a sense of remorse. Bluesprite got up and went to follow but stopped when she felt someone touch her shoulder.

"A lot has happened to him since you last saw him," Starfeather said, trying to comfort the humming bird. "Just let him cool off."

Bluesprite looked from the empty hallway and back to the femme beside her and nodded, looking like a child who had just been denied a cookie.

-x-

A few days later, Bluesprite approached Terrorsaur and offered him an apology. He said nothing for a few moments. He simply gazed at her, his resentment melting away as he studied her more closely. She looked almost nothing like he remembered. The only thing that had stayed the same over the years was the youthful liveliness that resided in her green optics. And her paint job.

Her face was white and angular like his and where ever he was red, she had blue. She had grown tall and lithe as well. As much as he hated to admit it, he had missed her too. He looked down. "Apology accepted," he mumbled.

Bluesprite squealed and hugged him, though not as desperately as she had a few days ago. Terrorsaur made like was going to protest but sighed and grudgingly hugged back. Starfeather smiled from where she was hiding as she watched them. She glanced down at Waspinator, who was crouched by her feet. He was smiling too and biting back his pleased giggles.

When they pulled apart, Bluesprite looked him over as if seeing him for the first time. "Wow bro, it's been, what? ...1,300 stellarcycles? Wow... you're taller than me."

He smirked. "You just now noticed?"

"Yeah, kinda." She shrugged. "Anyway, could we go for a fly? There's _so_ much I wanna ask you."

"Well..."

When it looked like he was going to say no, Starfeather stepped out from the shadows. "Go on, Screechy," she said. "We'll cover for you guys while you have your brother/sister time."

"'Screechy', I like that," the humming bird commented.

Terrorsaur grumbled. "'Least it's a better name than 'Rosy'."

-x-

Tigatron hadn't gone this far north in a long while.

It was farther north than his or Moonscope's pods had come down but he was detecting something. It was faint but it was certainly Cybertronian. Snowstalker, his purely tiger traveling companion, was joining him on this treck. He was glad for the company as he followed the weak signal.

He was surprised the find that the more he followed the signal, the stronger it became. Soon, he recognized it. It was a homing beacon from a stasis pod. _The beacon must be garbled by the planet's magnetic field,_ he thought. Because of this conclusion, he figured that the Predacons would be no threat in this situation so saw no need to inform his comrades just yet. He would make sure the protoform was alright before taking it back to base.

After about an hour, Tigatron and Snowstalker had the stasis pod in sight, only a few meters ahead. The distance was closed shortly but they were met with resistance when they tried to get near the pod.

An arctic fox was in front of the pod, the side of its body was pressed against it. Its thick white fur was fluffed up to full capacity and its large ears were pinned back. Its fangs were bared at the tigers and its eyes were wide. However, Tigatron could see that this creature was not angry, it was purely scared.

It snarled viciously when he took a cautious step toward it, arching its back. Snowstalker could smell the fear and respectfully backed away. Tigatron's only conclusion was that this was the protoform. "All is well, friend," he murmured, trying to sooth the frightened Maximal hidden beneath the beast mode. It hissed at him in response and he realized that this Maximal must have been taken over by its beast form.

"Access Maximal core consciousness," he commanded the computer. "Pass code: Tigatron."

"Pass code accepted," said the computer of the Maximal fox. She yelped in surprise, attempting to back into the open pod hatch.

"Hush, little one," Tigatron soothed, lying down to seem less of a threat. He could hear her confused thoughts, her pleas for help. He gently explained to her what she must do in order to become one with her beast form.

The fox concentrated for a moment before her computer announced, "Programming block deleted." She looked up at him, understanding now in her eyes and face.

"Thank you..." she said barely above a whisper.

The tiger nodded. "You are most welcome. Now tell me, what is someone of your age doing on the _Axelon_ mission?" he wondered.

The young fox then explained to the best of her ability. "My mom was one of the supervisors for those people being loaded into stasis pods on the exploration ship. She brought me the day before launch so I could say goodbye to daddy. I didn't get to... I got bored waiting so I decided to explore a little." She looked down guiltily and grudgingly continued her story. "I wanted to see what it was like to be in a stasis pod so I got in an empty one. The door just shut and..." She stopped there and began to shake, not only from the cold, but from her quiet sobs.

Tigatron extended a paw and brought the smaller Maximal toward himself. She buried her face in his soft chest fur, relishing in the physical contact and comfort. He let the little femme get it out of her system before he asked her one more question.

"What is your name, little one?"

She looked up at him, her big ears twitching. "I'm..." She looked down at the ground as if looking for something to reassure her and back up at him. "I'm Snowball."

"A pleasure to meet you, Snowball. I am Tigatron and this," he said, flicking his tail to where his companion had made herself comfortable on a nearby snowdrift. "This is Snowstalker. She is purely tiger."

Snowball nodded, gazing at the other white tiger in wonder. She soon looked back to Tigatron, confusion again clouding her vision. "How did I get here?" she asked. "Where are we?"

"To tell the truth, I am unsure of what this planet is," he answered. He then went on to explain about Megatron's small rebellion group stealing the Golden Disc. The _Axelon_ had been the only ship close enough to lock on to the Predacon ship's transwarp signature. Both ships crashed on this planet. However, prior to crashing, Optimus Primal had ordered that the stasis pods be ejected into the planet's orbit.

At hearing the Maximal leader's name, Snowball's whole being lit up with excitement and hope. "Daddy's here?" she asked eagerly. "Where is he? Can you take me to him? Why didn't he come find me?"

It all came out so fast, Tigatron barely got a word. "Slow down, little one. Who is your father?"

"Optimus Primal!"

-x-

"So what you're saying is you like her a lot."

"So what? It's none of your business!"

Terrorsaur and Bluesprite were flying in what ever random direction the winds took them, though they stayed away from Predacon territory. They had talked on this and that until Bluesprite mentioned that she thought she had seen him getting frisky with Starfeather. He had gotten defensive about it and she decided to press the issue. She had missed pushing his buttons.

"Okay, whatever. So..." The humming bird paused dramatically. "You serious about her or what?"

"Serious how?" he demanded.

"I mean, are you serious about her?" she asked again. "You seem to have been together for quite some time."

"What of it?" he grumbled.

"Well... are you gonna ask her?"

"Ask her what?"

"You know what."

"No, I don't."

Bluesprite cleared her throat and horribly mimicked her brother's scratchy voice. "Will you do me the honor in becoming my mate?"

"What! Rawk!" Terrorsaur nearly fell out of the sky. He quickly regained himself and shot his sister an evil glare as she laughed. "What makes you think I want to bond with her?" he snapped.

"Well," Bluesprite said after catching her breath. "You obviously care about her and she likes you too. Why _not_ bond with her? You two make a cute couple!"

He narrowed his eyes, not wanting to answer. "She's not ready," he growled before his stance softened and he wistfully watched the ground flow bellow him. "And neither am I."

The humming bird eyed him. "What makes you say that? I'm surprised she hasn't asked you before I did."

He sighed. Terrorsaur remembered how he could talk about anything with Bluesprite in the past. Even though she would get on his nerves, she would never make fun of him when it was serious. "Do you honestly think she would want to bond with someone after she was nearly _raped_ by Megatron?" he demanded.

Bluesprite stared at him, eyes wide. "Oh, the poor girl..." she breathed.

"I don't want to force her into anything she's not ready for," the pterodactyl stated. "Besides... I don't think I'm ready for it either."

"And why not?" Bluesprite questioned. "Terrorsaur, you've changed, a lot. You've grown up. From what I've learned these past few days from Waspy and Optimus _and_ Starfeather, you'd make a wonderful mate. Even a wonderful father."

Terrorsaur stopped in mid-flight, transformed, and pointed a threatening finger at her. "Stop right there," he ordered darkly. "Even if I ever do bond with Starfeather, I refuse to spark with her. I will not have any youngling that I am responsible for grow up and turn out to be like me; a disgrace to the Predacon and Decepticon name, and most of all, a disgrace to my heritage."

Bluesprite also transformed to robot mode and put her hands on her hips. "Don't think I don't know our history. You're no different than Starscream was during the Mini-con wars before he lost his memories. He realized that Megatron's way was wrong and sacrificed himself in the face of Unicron to save Cybertron, to save the Decepticons _and_ Autobots, to save the humans..." She paused and brought her face closer to her brother's, green optics narrowed. "To save _Alexis_."

Terrorsaur said nothing for a long time. They glared at each other for several minutes until he finally took to his beast form. "This conversation is over," he declared curtly and flew off, back to the Maximal base.

Bluesprite watched him leave. She crossed her arms and looked real proud of herself. "I bet two months tops until he proposes," she said to herself, a cocky expression on her white face.


	34. Dark Voyage: Bonds

**#34 - Dark Voyage: Bonds**

"I'm so sorry, daddy. I shouldn't have gone exploring by myself." Snowball poured her little spark out to her father as she clung desperately around his neck. "It was so cold. I missed you and mommy so much. I'm so sorry."

"Shh, it's alright," Optimus said gently. He was still shocked that his daughter was here on this planet. He and Nightingale had been so worried when she disappeared but he still had a schedule to keep. Not that he hadn't search for his missing girl before he left but they had found nothing, not even a trace. "I'm here now."

Tigatron had given him the story that Snowball had tried to tell but she had been too excited. Optimus had nodded and now he looked back down on Snowball. She looked back up at him with big green, tear-filled optics. "I'm hungry," she declared softly.

The tiger smirked. "I did give her some of my rations before bringing her here," he said in amusement. "But she insists that she is still hungry."

The Maximal leader chuckled and lifted the fox in his arms. "Thank you, Tigatron," he said before leaving to bridge.

The short walk to the captain's quarters was silent until just before they entered.

"Tigatron's nice," Snowball said.

Optimus smiled. "Yes, he is," he replied before entering his room. Once inside, he sat her on his desk, knelt to her level, and simply looked her over. Her armor was mostly white now, though she still had hits of mint green and violet. Her transformation would be similar to Silverbolt's if he was around yet. She looked back at him, a little confused.

"Am I in trouble?" she asked, the ear like ornaments resembling that of her beast mode on either side of her head drooping.

He shook his head. "No, honey. Not anymore."

"Am I going to get punished?" she asked a little more quietly.

"No..." He shook his head again then held her close. "I think what you've been through is punishment enough," he murmured.

Snowball quivered slightly as she hugged back, suddenly filled with happiness at being with her father again. "I love you, daddy."

-x-

"I'm glad Megatron assigned us both on this mission," Deltasurge was saying as she waddled along beside Scorponok. "We hardly ever get any time alone."

"There is a lot that needs to be done around the base before we get any personal time," Scorponok replied. "After all, Megatron needs us to do the things he can't."

"Or won't." The scorpion was surprised by her sudden gruffness. "Scorponok, do you ever really watch him? Not worship watch, I mean inspect watch. All our "glorious leader" ever does is sit around barking orders and look pretty."

Scorponok wasn't sure how to react. He didn't have a doubt that Megatron was a strong leader, the true leader of the Predacons and not the Maximal Elders. "Megatron doesn't just sit around," he tried to argue without getting a physical retort. "He does a lot of things."

"Name ten," the crocodile challenged flatly.

"Well, he..." Scorponok was shocked at himself. He found he didn't really have a clue to what Megatron did all day when he wasn't out with them on the battle field. "He, uh... Megatron does most of it on his computer so I can't tell you what he does."

"Uh-hu," Deltasurge nodded. "So what you're saying is, you don't know."

He tried to protest but thought of something. "He comes up with all the plans and strategies," he declared.

"Yep, and guess what?" She paused. "We loose _almost_ every time. Lemme put it this way for you, Shelly."

Scorponok wasn't too fond of the nickname the crocodile had bestowed upon him but there wasn't anything he could do about it. Besides, he was grateful that she never called him that in front of the others. At least it was better than Shell-head.

"All I'm really trying to say is don't follow his orders blindly." She gave him a rare soft look. "That's how idiots die. Think about what you're doing."

He glanced back at her. Of course, he was offended that she questioned Megatron's leadership but... Scorponok decided to think on what she had just said at a more appropriate time.

-x-

Terrorsaur watched his comrades as they gathered energon below. He was in beast mode, circling above them as they went about their work. He knew how easy it would be to destroy all of them in this energon rich area. Just one little shot would blow this area to pieces and...

No. He still needed them. Besides, Rhinox was in the group. As much as he hated to admit it, he owed the rhino his life.

He sighed. Life with the Maximals was pretty boring. Not much happened to keep you on your feet unless Rattrap and Dinobot got physical over a dispute. That was always fun to watch or even get in on until Optimus or someone broke it up.

Maybe he had made a mistake in agreeing to stay with the Maximals. They were so... peaceful and polite. It almost made him sick. Even Starfeather wasn't such a goody-two-shoe twenty-four seven.

That wasn't the only thing that puzzled him. He noticed that there seemed to be no resentment at all from the other Maximals toward Optimus Primal. Slag, even Waspinator looked up to him like a... like a role-model. Starfeather even admitted that Primal was like a second father to her. Dinobot also seemed to look up to him in his own way, even respect his position.

Why did everyone seem to like Optimus? What was different about him and Megatron?

For starters, Optimus didn't raise his voice too often. He allowed longer rest periods, more energon rations, he talked personally to his men. Megatron, on the other hand, would yell if you didn't do what you were told right or right away. He gave barely any rest time except at night, he was strict about how much energon everyone could have per day, and he never talked to anyone personally but himself.

Terrorsaur was pulled from his thoughts when he heard a strange quaking noise. Looking down, he saw the energon was pulsating and he saw Scorponok and Deltasurge on a ridge overlooking the valley the energon was in. He mentally slapped himself for not paying attention.

Transforming to robot form, he dove at the scorpion and crocodile. He bowled into them both but was kicked back before he could do any more damage. He slammed into the ground near the others.

The last thing he remembered was an audio splitting explosion before it all went dark.

-x-

Some things never change.

This is what Starfeather thought as she sat in front of one of the monitors in the main control room, staring blankly at the view presented. Yes, it was her day for monitor duty. She was glad that she didn't have it every day like she used to. However, she was still happy to get distractions.

Like the one that was chasing a ball right now.

The raven looked on with amusement at Snowball. The little fox had suddenly padded into the room, nosing a ball across the floor. Ever since she showed up, things seemed to get brighter around the base. Cheetor certainly had fun playing with her.

Starfeather reached down and snatched up ball. "Ha, I got it!" she exclaimed, holding the ball just out of reach.

Snowball giggled as she jumped, trying to reclaim the ball. She accidentally knocked it from the raven's hand and giggled some more as she watched it harmlessly bounce around the room before it came to a stop. She looked back at Starfeather, panting.

"That was fun," she declared before hopping into Starfeather's lap and looking up at the monitor. "Whatchya doing?"

"I'm on monitor duty," the raven explained, trying to make it sound interesting. "I'm making sure the Predacons aren't up to anything."

"What are those two red dots?" Snowball asked, pointing a forepaw at the screen.

"Red dots?" Starfeather whirled around, making sure not to throw off the fox, and typed in some commands. The computer brought up a visual and her mouth dropped open. "Oh no..."

"What? What's wrong?" But the youngling's question went unanswered.

Starfeather tried to call Rhinox first since he had been the head of that particular mission. "Rhinox? Rhinox: come in. This is home base, do you copy?" she spoke nervously into the microphone. Static. She tried Terrorsaur. "Terrorsaur? Terrorsaur, please, talk to me." Static. Panic was rising in her chest. "Rattrap? Cheetor? Dinobot? Anyone! Respond!"

"What's going on?" Snowball asked more insistently. "Are they okay?"

"I don't know," Starfeather opened another channel. "Optimus, we have a problem. Rhinox and the others sent to gather energon aren't responding to my calls. And there are two Predacon signatures in their area."

-x-

Oh... the pain...

Cheetor groaned as he slowly pushed himself to his feet. He tried to run a diagnostic but his onboard computer had been disabled. "Great," he muttered and opened his optics... but nothing happened. He tried again and again and again, blinking repeatedly, but he couldn't see a thing.

"My eyes! My eyes!" He heard Dinobot cry out in anguish.

"Dinobot?" He heard Rhinox question.

"Rhinox?" He heard Rattrap call. "Where are ya, buddy? It's darker dan da Pit out here."

They were still online. They could help him. "Rhinox, Rattrap, help me!" he cried. "I can't see!"

"Rawk! What did they do to me?" Terrorsaur screeched. "I can't see anything!"

"What have they done to my eyes?" Dinobot roared. The panic was swelling inside all of them.

"Rhinox! Help me!" Rattrap exclaimed.

"What happened? Where are we?" Cheetor cried, swinging his head around as if still trying to see.

"I'm too young to go offline!" Terrorsaur shouted, grabbing at his head.

"Listen to me!" Rhinox ordered, taking charge of the situation. "You all have to calm down."

"Calm down?" Dinobot and Terrorsaur repeated in unison.

"We can't SEE!" the raptor shrieked.

"How do you expect us to calm down," Terrorsaur was saying, stumbling forward, trying to find the rhinoceros and shake him heartily by the shoulders but having no luck. "When we can't even see what's right in front of us! Where in the Pit are you?"

"The energon explosion has contaminated our systems," Rhinox explained, trying to lessen the tension as best he could. "Our optical censers, and just about everything, are offline."

The other Maximals looked to where they thought his voice was emanating from and listened anxiously.

"So what do we do?" Rattrap asked.

"We've got to transform. It will slow down the contamination and possibly regenerate our systems." The next thing they heard was the sound of the rhino groaning as the transformation took place. Metal plates ground and sparked against each other until a charred rhinoceros stood in the center of the semi circle.

The others transformed to beast mode as well. They experienced the same unpleasant sensations.

"Aw slag," Rattrap muttered. "That was weird."

Terrorsaur shook his head in frustration. "But I still can't see!"

"Me neither," Cheetor said.

Dinobot snarled and clenched his claws. "I'll tear Scorponok's processor out for this! And Deltasurge's too."

"Count me in," Terrorsaur growled.

"It's worse than I thought," Rhinox bowed his head with the heaviness of the situation. After a brief moment, he raised his head again and did his best to face everyone. "Our only chance is to make it back to the base."

Everyone started. "Are you insane?" the raptor shouted. "How can we get to the base when we can't see?"

"There's more than one way to see, Dinobot," Rhinox argued calmly. "Besides, we don't have a choice. If we don't reach a C.R. chamber within sixty cycles, the contamination will put our sparks out, for good."

-x-

_"You didn't salvage the remains?"_ Megatron sounded curious until a loud crash was heard, causing the scorpion and crocodile to flinch. _"Then how can you be sure you destroyed them? Go back there now and make certain!"_

"Y-yes, yes, of course Megatron. Right away, sir." He terminated the link and looked to his companion who shook her head.

"Don't feel too bad, Shelly," she said. "I didn't think of that either... I call Dinobot's head!" With that, Deltasurge shifted to beast mode and began running back to the crater.

"Hey!" Scorponok called and transformed to his own beast form. "Wait for me!"

Upon reaching the blacked area, the pair searched through the broken rocks and ash but found nothing of the Maximals. Sniffing around was just making Deltasurge sneeze and most of the rocks Scorponok picked up crumbled in his claw. One stone in particular dissipated into a cloud, getting in the scorpion's face, and making him cough.

"Maybe they were vaporized," Deltasurge suggested, coming closer to him. "I can't find hide or hair of 'em."

"There should be some kind of wreckage..." He clicked his claws thoughtfully. "Go back up to that ridge and scan for energon traces."

The crocodile nodded and hiked up to the ridge she and Scorponok had stood on before. Transforming to robot form and looking down, she narrowed her optics and scanned the area. She hummed to herself. "Hmm, I see a trail of energon... Maybe they did survive."

"Well, let's follow it. We have to find them and finish them or Megatron will finish _us_."

-x-

Rhinox had come up with an effective yet slow means of getting back to the base. He led them all in a line; Dinobot was behind him, then Cheetor, then Rattrap. Terrorsaur had a hard time walking in his beast form so he had grudgingly agreed to ride on Rhinox.

The trip for the first few minutes had been fairly quiet except for Rhinox calling out directions and warnings of obstacles. Now, it was Dinobot's turn to speak.

He sniffed the air disgustedly. "Mm, what a lovely smell," he grumbled. "We can only be in a swamp."

"You're catching on, Dinobot," Rhinox replied. "We just follow our noses and-" He stopped, literally.

"Hey!" With a squawk of surprise, Terrorsaur landed face first in the mud in front of the rhino while the others crashed into one another and all landed in a heap.

"Why are we stopping?" Dinobot demanded before he leaped to his feet.

Rattrap let out a screech of pain as the raptor had stepped on his forelimb. "Look out wouldgya? That's my foot, moron!" the rat hissed.

"Quiet!" Rhinox ordered. "Something's near us."

Everyone immediately went silent. Terrorsaur got to his feet and crept back until he felt the rhino's nose against his back. The others glanced fruitlessly around them, all audios on full alert. All that could be heard were the calls of distant birds and insects. Cheetor unwittingly backed away from the group. This would soon prove to be a fatal mistake.

Something dropped on top of him and wrapped its self around him, squeezing him and hissing in his ear. He gasped. "Help me," he choked out.

"Cheetor?" Rattrap said, feeling around for the spotted cat. "Cheetor, where are ya kid?"

"What's happening?" Terrorsaur asked, his voice higher than normal.

"Are we under attack?" Dinobot demanded.

"Don't panic-" Rhinox tried to warn him off but Dinobot was already in a fight or flight posture.

He snarled at the invisible attacker. "You won't get me!" He then attempted to charge said attacker only to succeed in slamming into a tree.

Cheetor, still in the snake's coils, moaned hoarsely. "Rhinox... Rattrap... Can't breathe..." he wheezed.

"I hear ya, pussy cat. Hang on." Rattrap ran to where he thought he had heard Cheetor but was met with a hearty slap to the face. It stung like a whip lash but that didn't deter him. "Oh yeah? Right back atchya, buddy!" He jumped and landed on something with scales. The rat bit down as hard as he could.

The snake turned away from its current victim and eyed the rodent hungrily. It raised its tail, which was what Rattrap was biting into, and flung him off and away. Rattrap landed a few meters away in a clump of ferns. The snake left its current prey for the more appetizing rodent.

Rhinox could hear it moving. "Terrorsaur, stay here. I'll be right back."

The pterodactyl nodded even though the other couldn't see it. He listened to the sound of retreating footsteps until all he could hear was the sounds of wildlife. Cheetor was being very quiet. He wondered if he was dead. At any rate, it served the little fur ball right.

Terrorsaur heard Dinobot get up and Rhinox and Rattrap came back. Then he heard Cheetor's weak voice. He was slightly disappointed but shook it off. His time would come soon enough.

-x-

Optimus had everyone out searching for their missing comrades. Tigatron and Waspinator were searching in a team, Airazor and Bluesprite were a team, and Starfeather and himself were searching together. The two had started at the location where the energon had been, emphasizing 'had been'.

They were shocked at the sight before them. Everything had been destroyed and left nothing but a blackened crater. Starfeather looked hopelessly to Optimus. "They're gone," she breathed.

He put a hand to her shoulder. "Don't loose hope yet," he comforted. "You know they're stronger than that."

"But how could they survive this?" she asked, waving her hand indicatively around the crater.

The Maximal leader frowned. "I'm surprised at you, Starfeather," he said. "How could you just give up on them so quickly? I always thought you would be one of the last ones to give up on your team mates."

She bowed her head. "I'm sorry sir, I just don't know how they could have survived this." _Please let them be alive,_ she thought. _Please let Terrorsaur be alive..._

As Optimus turned to leap back into the sky, she suddenly put on a determined expression and clenched her fists. She knew they were alive and she would help find them. As she jumped and transformed in mid air to follow after the Maximal leader, she determined that she would discus an important mater that had been at the back of her mind for quite some time now.

-x-

Going was even slower now. Rhinox had to walk more cautiously with an injured Cheetor on his back. Terrorsaur hobbled along behind Rattrap, the rodent's tail in his beak. The treck was silent.

Rhinox kept sniffing the air. At last, he detected something. "I smell water, fresh water," he announced. "And I can hear it falling."

Cheetor weakly raised his head. "Is it... the base, Rhinox?" he asked tiredly.

"No," the rhino answered gently. "But it should be one of the falls that feeds the base. If we get to it, we can follow it. Hang on, Cheetor, we're going to make it."

"Yeah, sure... g-gonna make it," the cheetah replied breathlessly and lowered his head. "Just so tired..."

No one else said anything. Terrorsaur was thinking to himself. He had thought how worried Starfeather and Waspinator must be by now. They were scheduled to return to the base at least an hour ago. Then what Bluesprite had said to him the other day stabbed at him.

He shook his head. Why couldn't they just go on as they were? He had already committed himself to her, and so had Starfeather. They were happy, right?

The true answer was no, he found. No matter how he tried to deny it, he wanted something more, something permanent. Not only that, he had never proved just how much he cared for her. At first, he never brought up the subject because of what Megatron had tried to do in the past but now... Would she want to interface? Or would she turn from him?

Oh what did it mater? They were at war, for Primus' sake! They shouldn't really even be engaged in a romantic relationship. He sighed. He just didn't know what to do.

It didn't take long for them to reach the waterfall but time was running out. They just needed to find a way to follow the river, however on this side, they were on a cliff. They needed to find a way across.

The situation was looking brighter, and that made Rhinox happier. "We made it," he said.

"What did you say?" Dinobot called over the roar of falling water.

"I said we made it to the waterfall," the rhino repeated a little louder.

"Oh," Dinobot replied with dry sarcasm. "What a startling revelation."

"What?" Terrorsaur said, chuckling a little.

Rhinox did his best to glare at the two before Rattrap got their attention. The rat had gone to the water's edge to feel around the bank.

"Hey, over here," he called back to the group. "I think we can cross here, just give me a cycle." He bumped the side of his face against the log he had discovered upon turning around but no mater.

-x-

"Hey," Deltasurge indicated toward a waterfall. "Lookie up there."

Scorponok did look and cackled in triumph. "Good work," he congratulated then activated his comm. "Moonscope, Inferno; the Maximals are north-east of your position, over a waterfall."

_"Copy that, Scorponok."_

_"For the glory of the royalty!"_

The crocodile rolled her eyes. "Is kissing Megatron's aft all that bug ever thinks about?"

Scorponok grumbled a reply but Deltasurge missed what he said. Not really caring to hear an answer, she continued on toward the Maximals. The Second in Command soon followed.

-x-

Rattrap crawled slowly and carefully across the log, checking it to see if there were any weak spots. He found none and made it all the way to the other side of the river. "It's good," he called to the others over the roar of water. "Come on!"

"We have to hurry," Rhinox said as he eased Cheetor off his back and onto the ground. "We have less than twenty cycles to make it back to the base."

"Yeah, okay," the cheetah grunted as he attempted to stand. After a couple tries, he was able to limp on his own. Rhinox lead the group over the log. The cross would have gone smoothly if not for a little interference from-

"The royalty demands your wreckage, Maximals!" Inferno cried and fired repeatedly at the log. It didn't take long for him to dislodge it and it and the Maximals tumbled down the waterfall.

The fire ant cackled in victory as Moonscope flew up beside him, shaking her head. "Must you hoo be so destructive?" she asked. "One could simply have pushed the log over."

Inferno glanced at her but said nothing more of the mater. He simply looked down to where the log had resurfaced. "Let us uncover their bodies and bring them before the royalty." With that, he soared downward and along the river.

Moonscope glided after him, mentally frowning. She had been informed of Inferno's condition, that his beast mode instinct programming had been scrambled with his regular programming. She wondered if there was anything she could do to fix it or at least make him somewhat normal. He was clever but that cleverness was hampered by his ant instincts.

Flying through the fog and over the water's surface, they found nothing at first but soon, they spotted them.

-x-

Pterosaurs were definitely **not** designed for swimming.

Terrorsaur was currently discovering this the hard way.

He couldn't flap his wings very quickly through the liquid, he didn't know which way was up and his systems were running out of air. Since flailing around wasn't helping, he folded his wings against his body, pointed his beak straight ahead, and kicked out with his feet. Now this was getting him somewhere. Fortunately, he found the surface and gulped in oxygen.

He could hear the others talking to his right so, very much like a water fowl, he swam toward the voices. His chest hit pebbles and he scrambled onto dry land. In his rushed efforts, Terrorsaur had accidentally thrown some of the small stones in Rattrap's face.

"Pfffack!" the rat spluttered, swiping the pebbles from his nose. "Watch where ya throw stuff!"

"I'm sorry, I can't," the pterodactyl retorted sarcastically. "Or did you forget?"

Rattrap was too exhausted to make a comeback. Dinobot's snarl broke the silence. "To think a warrior like me will go out blind, wet, and helpless," he muttered darkly.

"We're..." Rhinox took a breath. "We're not finished yet."

"Spare me your eternal optimism!" the raptor snapped. "Inferno will be back."

Just then, they heard the sound of the fire ant's jets zoom by overhead. They all scrambled onto shore in search of an escape. They soon discovered that they were stuck literally between a rock and a wet place. Terrorsaur suggested trying to fly them up the ridge but Rhinox turned him down. The pterodactyl couldn't lug him and Dinobot up the ridge by himself.

"Well then, what do you expect us to do?" Terrorsaur retorted. "Just lay down and die?"

"We have no where to run, so we fight," Rhinox reasoned then ordered, "Transform, now!"

"Are you insane?" Dinobot rounded on the rhino. "We can't possibly-"

"Let's just do what Rhinox says, choppa face!" Rattrap cut off the raptor's protests and transformed to his robotic form. The sensations were just as painful and going to beast mode. The others, with the exception of Rhinox, followed the rat's example.

"I just know I'm going to regret this," Terrorsaur ground out after transforming. They readied their weapons and awaited the Predacons' return. They didn't have to wait long. Inferno and Moonscope made their first attack. The Maximals fired wildly.

"Oh man, we're scrap! We're scrap!" Rattrap moaned.

"Where are they?" Cheetor demanded in a panic.

Dinobot growled. "How can we hit what we cannot see?"

"Maximals! Listen to me!" Rhinox broke through the panic then stated more calmly, "Picture a targeting grid in your head, like the one we use in practice simulations."

_Okay... this is useless,_ Terrorsaur thought with a frustrated grimace. "What good will that do us?"

"Do you see it?" the rhinoceros persisted.

"This is absurd!" Dinobot snorted.

"Concentrate," the other encouraged. "You can do it."

Cheetor closed his optics, despite not being able to see in the first place. Simply a habit one develops when thinking hard. Lines crisscrossed and paralleled soon forming a 3D grid in his mind. "I-I can see it!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah, me too! But-" Rattrap was cut off.

"They're coming in!" Rhinox warned. "Stand by and listen for my instructions."

Terrorsaur had the grid picture in his head as well. He could feel his trigger finger itching to shoot at something. He realized that now would be a good time to eliminate one or two of his enemy. They would never know. No one could see. They would assume that Inferno or who ever was with him would have done so. The thought was juicy and very tempting. It wasn't like he hadn't killed anyone before...

His thought train was halted when Rhinox began barking orders. "Cheetor: vector 5, 3, 7. Rattrap: vector 5, 4, 2. Dinobot: vector 5, 5, 4. Terrorsaur: vector 5, 2, 9. On my mark... fire!"

You could imagine the Predacons' surprise when some pretty accurate plasma shots hit them. Moonscope was blasted back, landing face first into a cliff face. Inferno was left to make a temporary retreat.

He gazed down through the fog. "This is not possible!"

-x-

Tigatron was finally been able to block out Waspinator's constant worried comments. He had politely asked the wasp to keep his worries to himself but, I'm sure if we all know Waspy, that just didn't happen.

At any rate, he and the wasp were headed for a nearby river. He came to a sudden stop at hearing the distant sound of weapon fire. "Waspinator," the tiger spoke quietly. "Keep low and follow my lead."

"What tiger 'bot find?" Waspinator asked eagerly.

"I have a feeling that we shall soon see." Without another word, Tigatron slipped into the brush surrounding the riverbank. Waspinator shrugged to himself and followed the white tiger. In a matter of minutes, the pair spotted Scorponok patrolling a clear stretch of the bank. Tigatron growled in his throat and waited for the right moment to pounce.

"What scorpion 'bot doing?" Waspinator asked suddenly and just a little too loudly. Scorponok turned in the direction the voice came from and hastily transformed. He shot blindly in that direction but was met with white fur and big paws and found himself on the ground.

It didn't take long to dispose of the arachnid. Tigatron quickly relayed a message to Optimus Primal.

-x-

Starfeather and Optimus both were beginning to lose hope when the raven thought she heard something. "Can you hear that?" she asked, wondering if it wasn't just her imagination. "I think it's... laser shots."

Optimus looked at her then concentrated on listening. He found he did hear laser shots. Before he could respond, he got a message from Tigatron.

-x-

"Rattrap! Vector 1, 3, 9. Quick!" Rhinox commanded.

Rattrap acted accordingly, effectively bringing Inferno down. The fire ant skipped across the river like a flat stone before coming to a stop and sinking like said stone. The group was silent for a moment.

Cheetor smiled with relief. "Alight," he cheered weakly. "We- gyah!" He was overcome by something akin to an energon surge only much, much stronger. He fell to the ground and didn't make another move.

"Cheetor!" Rhinox called.

"What's happen..." Dinobot suffered the same fate and Rattrap followed.

Terrorsaur groaned, already feeling the shutdown coming. "I knew I would regret this..." He collapsed at the rhinoceros's feet.

Rhinox mentally surveyed the situation. "Transforming speeded up the contamination," he murmured. "They're all in stasis lock!"

Suddenly, he heard a gasp and metal feet land somewhere to his left. "Terrorsaur! Oh, guys," the voice exclaimed. "Rhinox!" He felt gentle hands touch his face. "You look terrible. What happened to your eyes? They're white!"

"Never mind me," he said, shaking his head lightly to dislodge Starfeather's hands. "I still have some time left. Help them."

She looked back to her fallen comrades and did so without a word. Optimus, Waspinator, and Tigatron soon joined in gathering up their fallen. Airazor and Bluesprite came quickly afterward.

From the rippling water a few feet away, a pair of reptilian eyes watched the Maximals. She knew better than to attack the group and she knew Scorponok was lying in a ditch somewhere near the other bank but she wanted to spy for a little while. She wanted to learn more about Dinobot and Rattrap. There was something about them. She felt she had a connection with them but she didn't know why.

However, not wanting to bother too long with a Maximal and an ex-Predacon, Deltasurge submerged and went in search of Inferno.


	35. Spark to Spark

**#35 - Spark to Spark**

Terrorsaur was so relieved when he woke up in the C.R. chamber and could actually _see_ who was waiting for him beyond the hatch. Those closest to him had been pretty happy to see him too but the celebration was short lived. After prying his siblings off his arms and legs, he wanted to get some rest.

The next morning, he asked Starfeather if they could go to their special place. She had agreed and, currently, they were flying there. However, it was not the clearing that they were going to. They had had to find a new place to go because the first one was in Predacon territory. Their new place was a cave behind a waterfall down river.

As they landed on the rocky shore, Terrorsaur shuddered. "I hate waterfalls," he grumbled and shifted to robot form.

Starfeather giggled sympathetically. "I'm pretty sure _this_ waterfall is safe." She had heard their story about how they gotten as far as they did. She regretted ever doubting their ability and will to survive. She vowed to never believe her comrades were dead unless she saw it for herself. She transformed to her own robot mode and the pair went inside the cave.

It wasn't a very big cave, about as big as your average bedroom with a high ceiling. Several stalactites hung from the roof of the cavern and stalagmites pushed up from the ground with a few connecting. Almost the whole rocky floor was covered in thick layers of moss and a few ferns grew near the opening. Light came in through the sheet of water and danced along the damp walls of the cave. The roar of water wasn't too bad and it was quite cool inside.

It wasn't the clearing, but it was still nice and relaxing.

The two made themselves comfortable and were silent for a while. They didn't speak for a long time. They merely looked at each other and smiled before looking away. They both had things to say and they both could feel the heaviness of the importance of what needed to be said.

Finally, Terrorsaur sighed. "We can't put this off anymore," he said.

Somehow, the raven knew what he was talking about, but she had to be sure. "So... what are you saying?" she asked.

"I'm saying..." he trailed off, then started again. "What are we?"

Now she was confused. "Relationship wise?" she asked. "Aren't we dating?"

"But are we serious?" he pressed.

"I would like to think we were serious... What brought this about?" Starfeather wondered.

"Nothing, it's just-" he stopped himself. She let him gather his thoughts. "So many things have gone wrong," He looked at her. "I don't want this to."

"Hey," she said, crawling over to lean against him. "I already told you; unless we both call it off, I'm not leaving you."

He glanced down at her, thankful for her support. Ever since she had entered his life, she had been supportive toward him and Waspinator. He had never known anyone quite like her. Mustering up his courage to speak, he said, "Remember before all those pods came down, when you were wondering how I would look as a human?"

She looked up at him. "Yeah, but how-" He held up a hand to silence her then reached into his subspace. He took out a small piece of equipment and held it out to her. She took it carefully and studied it. "Okay... what is this?" she asked.

"It's called a hollowform projector. It's a device that was designed to help interact better with other species if our transformations couldn't," Terrorsaur explained. "I had to pester Rhinox for a while to get these and we have to give them back so don't break it."

Starfeather was still a bit confused but smiled. "Alright, so what do I do with this?"

"You should have a cavity in your chest somewhere, just search your systems and install it," he said.

"Okay..." Even after all this time, Starfeather still wasn't quite used to her body and tentative about roaming around her own systems. She was perfectly at ease with all that she knew how to do. It didn't take long for her to find what she needed. She inserted the device and looked back up at him. "Now what?"

"One would think to activate it," he replied and sat back. She smiled innocently then concentrated. Her statistics view screen appeared in her vision with a list of options.

"_Oh_," she said slowly, now understanding. She chose the option she wanted and, within seconds, a 3D movable image of herself before she became a Transformer sat beside her. She could suddenly see out another set of eyes. It was tricky trying to control a second body but she got her hollowform to stand up and take a few steps.

"Wow," she said, her voice coming out in stereo.

Terrorsaur chuckled and activated his own hollowform. It appeared in front of hers and she stared up at him in awed silence. He was tall with pale skin and shaggy bright red hair that was long enough to be put in a pony tail. His form had just enough muscle mass in all the right places, like a professional runner, and his features were angular with high cheekbones and a pointed chin and nose. He had on a red and silver Polo shirt with black pants and red boots.

"Oh Terrorsaur," Starfeather gasped from her true body. "You're... doggonit, you're hot."

He laughed from beside her. "And you're gorgeous." Her hollowform blushed and looked down shyly at her feet, hands shifting behind her back.

"For some reason, I feel kinda awkward," her hollowform said.

"How do you think _I_ feel?" his form replied before taking her in his arms. They were so _soft_, like smooth, dense foam almost. "This is very strange," he commented from his real body. It was her turn to laugh.

"Welcome to my world," she giggled and, not being able to contain herself, threw her arms around his neck and pressed her synthetic lips against his. He felt so soft and warm, so _good_. Her fingers teased with his pony tail and rubbed his neck. He in turn felt up and down her back, soaking in the new sensations of fake cloth and skin. They hummed and moaned from the satisfying feelings.

For being an older technology, the thought vaguely crossed his mind, it sure was brilliant.

After a while, they reluctantly parted. Starfeather looked up at him, a soft grin brightening her face. "Thank you," she said.

"You are most welcome, my little bird," Terrorsaur replied.

She giggled and looked to their real bodies. They had gone and laid down together as if in recharge. In reality, they were concentrating all their energy in manipulating the hollowforms. She looked back at him. "Can we leave the cave like this?" she wondered.

He nodded. "Sure, and while we're at it, we can go within a hundred meter radius of our bodies."

Human Starfeather was just about to dash out of the cave when she got an idea. Putting in a little extra thought, black feathered wings suddenly appeared on her back and, smiling mischievously, she broke clear of the waterfall and waited in the air just outside.

Terrorsaur was confused for only a second. Smirking, he adopted the wings of his own beast form and followed her. This game of chase would prove extremely entertaining indeed.

However, their antics did not go unnoticed.

-x-

But no need to worry.

From her perch on one of the larger dead trees in the area, Airazor watched the strange beings with interest and amusement. She knew a little bit about humans and she knew that they didn't have wings. Plus, she could sense that these humans were not real and she could tell by the energy signals not too far away who these individuals were.

A wistful sigh escaped her and she settled her head more comfortably between her shoulders. Her morning patrols with Tigatron as of late had begun to end with similar games of chase. They highly enjoyed their time together and knew each other very well.

Airazor found that they had a lot in common but the thing that clicked with them was their love of nature. She did like observing the things of this planet and spending time in it but Tigatron lived and breathed it. She wondered if he was right for her. They did seem to fit each other.

The falcon was pulled from her thoughts by a low familiar rumble below. She looked down to see Tigatron looking back up at her. The tiger smiled and she smiled back, her doubts fading.

They were made for each other.

-x-

It wouldn't matter if they were found. They could just disappear and no one would know who they were. They had willed their wings away for the time being and were laying tangled among one another in the grass.

Terrorsaur and Starfeather, well, their human hollowforms, were at their old clearing. Their antics had led them here so here was where they chose to 'rest'. In reality, they hadn't spent any energy. They just felt like spending time here. Besides, any farther and their forms would fizzle out.

Starfeather made the motion of sighing and turned her head to look at Terrorsaur. He appeared to be sleeping but she knew better. She pushed herself toward his face and softly kissed his lips. When she drew back, his eyes opened. He smiled and she smiled back. Reaching a hand up, he teased with her dirty blond hair and she leaned into his hand.

"I can't thank you enough for all that you do for me..." she murmured. He chuckled and pulled her closer.

"I don't need your thanks," he replied. "I just want you."

She laughed nervously. "Does... does that mean you... you want to marry me?" she asked carefully.

He glanced at her. "Marry?" he repeated.

"Yeah, marry," she answered. "To be bound together, joined as one, 'til death do us part."

"Oh, bond..." Terrorsaur dropped his gaze. "I was hoping _that_ talk could wait a little longer," he muttered, though not resentfully.

"Why?" Starfeather asked quietly. "What's wrong with getting... bonded?"

"Nothing," he answered quickly. "It's just..."

"The strings that come with it?" she continued for him. "Like children?" She was disappointed that he recoiled slightly at the word 'children'. So, he didn't want kids.

"Sort of," he answered slowly. "It's not that I don't want them, I just don't want them to grow up and turn out..." He stopped and didn't pick up again.

"I see what you're saying..." She nodded. He was afraid they would do something wrong and the child in question would grow up rotten. "If you don't want to have kids yet, we don't have to."

Terrorsaur smiled and held her closer. She clung to his shirt and rubbed her cheek against his chest. "I love you," he whispered and kissed her forehead.

"I love you too," Starfeather whispered back. They almost did fall asleep until they realized what time it was. The sun was nearly touching the horizon and they really had to get back to base. Their hollowforms vanished and they were back in the cave. Starfeather looked to Terrorsaur and smiled softly. "So... how does bonding work?" she asked.

He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Well... it's like sparking, only it's not."

"I don't even know what sparking is," she replied.

Terrorsaur laughed. "Slag, you really need to do some research or something. You've been one of us for, what? A year?"

She stood up and held out a hand to him. "I'll take you up on that. Or you could just give me a _little_ more detail."

He took her hand and stood up, still holding her hand. "I'll take you up on that." He smirked. "Let's fly." With that, they transformed and burst through the waterfall and towards the base.

As they flew, Terrorsaur explained the process of bonding. "Bonding is basically pressing our sparks together."

"Our sparks?" she questioned. "I thought our sparks were what kept us alive."

"That's true but your spark _is_ you. Put together with another spark, you become one with that person. When you bond, you give a piece of yourself to that other person and vise versa. Now it's your turn," he said. "What's marrying like?"

"Well, marriage is a ceremony where two people make vows that they will stay with each other. Rings symbolize their bond to each other."

"That's it?"

"Yup," She shrugged. "There're a bunch of variations but that's pretty much it."

The pterodactyl hummed thoughtfully. "Rings, huh? Strange custom."

"Hey, I didn't come up with it," Starfeather retorted with a smile. "I'm just tellin' it like it is, baby."

They both laughed at that. The rest of their flight was spent with lighthearted talk on wandering subjects until they got to the base. They went to their room soon after to get some recharge. One would think that Terrorsaur would have been the first to fall asleep but he stayed up, watching Starfeather sleep and coming up with a plan.

Yes, he would do it. He just needed to wait for the right time. After all, because of yesterday's events, he knew that he didn't have forever to make her truly his.


	36. Not Quite a Family Reunion

**#36 - Not Quite a Family Reunion**

A few days later, Starfeather, Airazor, Snowball, and Bluesprite were having a girls' day out. They were headed for neutral land so they would be less likely to get caught by a Predacon patrol. It had taken some convincing of Optimus Primal to let them go, but a pleading look from Snowball and convincing words from Bluesprite soon sealed the deal.

They had decided to make a picnic kind of outing out of it by taking some energon cubes with them for later. Snowball was excited, endless chatter coming from her vocalizer. Airazor was the one she was riding and found the youngling an entertaining traveling partner. Bluesprite zipped all around the group, making comments on the scenery and also talking with the young vixen.

Starfeather was mostly quiet for the trip, absently listening to the conversations. However, her mind kept going back to the other day when she and Terrorsaur had finally had a serious talk. She wondered what bonding was like and if he would ask her if she wanted to. He hadn't that day. She began to wonder if she would even want to. If bonding was the equivalent of marriage, then this would be one of the biggest decisions of her life. She wished that she had her mom to talk to. She wasn't sure if she was ready for something like that yet. Dating was one thing...

Not only that, but there was a war going on. She had seen on TV wives turned to widows and husbands left without a wife. What if either of them died before this was all over? It was a real possibility that she had never truly taken in. She didn't want anyone to die but that didn't mean they wouldn't...

The raven shook her head. She doubted that she was ever going to be human again so why not make the most of this new life? She could almost feel the open road of possibilities suddenly lay before her. She came crashing back into reality when someone bumped into her chest. Iridescent blue feathers as well as the loud buzzing of wings caught her attention.

"Hey Stary-eyes," Bluesprite said, swerving rapidly below the raven. "You shouldn't let your mind wander. It's much too small to go anywhere by itself."

Starfeather laughed. "I'll manage. Are we there?"

"Uh-hu," the humming bird nodded and swooped down into a sheltered valley. The other two followed and landed in the lush grass. Snowball leaped off of Airazor's back and rolled in a particularly thick patch of grass and flowers, giggling as the leaves tickled her nose.

Bluesprite shifted to robot form and laid beside the fox, spreading her arms and legs. "Hey look! Grass angel!" Snowball transformed as well and mimicked the other's actions.

Starfeather had half a mind to join them, but she was contented to sit next to Airazor and watch and laugh along with them.

-x-

From the shadows, a small band of figures watched the strange shiny beings that had entered their home. They watch fearfully and curiously, waiting for them to leave so that they could get back to foraging.

-x-

Starfeather and Airazor continued to watch Bluesprite and Snowball horse around until the raven turned to the other. "Hey, Airazor?" she said.

The falcon glanced at her. "Yes?"

"Terrorsaur and I were talking the other day and, well..." She paused awkwardly. "I think he's going to ask me to... bond with him soon."

Airazor's sea green optics widened. "Really? Wow, that's great!" She grinned.

Starfeather smiled nervously back. "I know, but..." She paused again. "I'm not so sure if I should. I mean, I don't know what to expect. Not only that, but there's a war going on. I don't know if we should yet."

Airazor took on a thoughtful look. "Well... I think that, if he does ask you," she finally said. "You should accept. After all, you might not have the again chance to if you wait."

The raven looked grave, pushing away a sense of doom, and nodded. "I guess you're right," She then smiled softly and added shyly. "I do love him."

Airazor smiled encouragingly and hugged her friend. "I'm happy for you," she said. Starfeather smiled her thanks.

"So," she started after a minute or two of watching the other girls still clowning around. "How's it going between you and Tigatron?"

"Oh," Airazor blushed slightly. "Well, we're... we're getting along."

"Come _on_, Airy," Starfeather playfully poked the falcon's arm accusingly. "That was so fake."

"Alright, I give," Airazor giggled, waving the other's hand away. "We've kissed a few times since last week."

"That's awesome!" Starfeather cheered, though not too loudly. Their conversation was cut short however when they heard a shriek and looked to see that Snowball was sitting on Bluesprite, mercilessly tickling her.

"Stop!" the blue femme cried through her laughter. "You win, YOU WIN!"

Snowball laughed in triumph before jumping off and sitting innocently by a mossy log. The humming bird gave her a playful evil glare and sat up. "Oh," she sighed. "I say it's time we fueled up."

Everyone agreed and sat in a circle, though Snowball wanted to sit in Starfeather's lap. Airazor, who had been placed in charge of carrying the energon, brought out the cubes and gave one to everybody. They drank their energon rather quietly. That is, until Snowball flicked her foxy ear like ornaments toward the trees behind them.

"What was that?" she said. "Did you hear that?"

The older femmes went on the alert, thinking Predacons might have gotten wise to them. This time, they all heard the under brush rustle and an odd noise.

"Snow," Starfeather ordered quietly but urgently as she reached for her blaster. "Get behind us."

The youngling nodded nervously and transformed to beast mode and cowered behind a mossy fallen log. The other three femmes had their weapons pointed toward where the bushes kept rattling.

"Alright, you," Bluesprite growled. "We know you're there now come out and face us!"

To their surprise, a small ape like creature stumbled out from the bushes. It stared up at them with big dark curious brown eyes. The femmes relaxed.

"Aww, it's a cute little monkey!" Bluesprite squealed. "I jus' wanna hug 'im and love 'im and call him..."

Airazor giggled. "I don't think Optimus would allow us to bring it back to base with us."

"Oh," Snowball breathed when she lifted her head at the commotion. "It's so cute!"

Starfeather, on the other hand, was staring right back at the young ape. Their eyes seemed to lock together and she kneeled nearer to it. Something about this ape made her plating crawl. "Guys..." she said softly. They looked to her. "I think it's a neanderthal."

"Neandy-what?" Bluesprite questioned.

Airazor then looked over the creature more careful and her mouth opened. "I think you're right..."

"What's a ne- neeado..." Snowball tried to wrap her vocalizer around the funny word. "Knee- an- der- thawl...?"

No one answered her for a moment. Then Starfeather spoke, her optics never leaving the animal. "A neanderthal is supposedly an early form of human beings."

"Human?" Bluesprite repeated. "I thought humans only lived on Earth."

"I did too..." Starfeather trailed off. The small ape came nearer, still gazing back at her. "So now, either humans exist on another planet or... this place is what I thought it was all along."

"And..." Airazor paused. "Where would that be?"

The raven didn't reply for what seemed like a long time. Snowball looked from one to the other, waiting for someone to say something. She had heard of humans before in her lessons and seen a picture or two. A few had been important factors in the Great Wars years and years ago.

Finally, Starfeather found the voice to answer. "This is Earth... with the clock turned backwards."

"Then how do you explain the second moon?" Airazor asked.

No one had an answer for that.


	37. Before the Storm Comes Their Dawn

**#37 - Before the Storm Comes Their Dawn**

A pachysufalosaurus stood on the invisible barrier between the Maximal and Predacon territories. It was the middle of the night but he couldn't sleep. He just couldn't shake the feeling that there was something wrong here, that he nor Moonscope or Deltasurge or even Inferno and Blackarachnia didn't belong. He didn't know why he felt this way but he did.

He heard a sound like a branch creek with the burden of the wind, only there was no wind. He glanced around on alert and saw a ghost white figure with glowing yellow eyes. G-Force frowned. "You followed me?" It was more of a statement than a question.

The snowy owl nodded once. "I am still concerned about you hoo," she said. "What is on your mind?"

He snorted and turned away. He didn't like busybodies but... he figured that he might as well tell someone. Perhaps Moonscope felt the same way. "I... I feel something is amiss," he began carefully. "I don't trust Megatron, yet..." He trailed off.

"You're afraid to hoo leave his cause?" she finished.

He growled. "I'm not afraid of Megatron," he grumbled. "I could beat him hand to hand if the occasion presented itself."

"Hmm, but that is beside the point," Moonscope said thoughtfully. "I will admit that the feeling is mutual. I also have my doubts about Megatron."

G-Force finally gave the owl a glance. "Then perhaps... we must do something about our similar feelings."

Moonscope nodded. "I agree."

-x-

He had done his research on the _Axalon's_ computer on files about human culture. It had been limited but he hoped it was enough.

For the past few weeks, Terrorsaur had been working secretly in one of the equipment storage bays during his free time. He had been slowly and carefully molding some spare gold wire that was used in the circuitry in the computers and other devices. He had carefully heated then braided the strands until they were long enough to make a loop. He had subtly figured out the size he needed to make the ring and now all he needed was a gem stone of some sort.

A diamond was the obvious choice but he didn't want to use something so stereotypical. Maybe something the color of her optics... No, there was no stone to match it. Her favorite color? Hmm... orange wasn't exactly the easiest color to find and he was going to ask her sometime by the end of the week. He didn't feel he could wait longer than that.

Well, let's see... Then an idea struck. He snapped his fingers. "Of course!" He put his tools and other things away before leaving the base to find the last thing he needed.

-x-

About a week later, almost everyone, Maximals and Predacons included, were shocked about the latest turn of events. Megatron and Optimus had met face to face but not to fight. They had met to discus a ceasefire.

Everyone had their own thoughts and suspicions on the matter. Terrorsaur thought this was the perfect opportunity. He had managed to find and crudely carve the stone of his choice and firmly but gently attached it to the little braided loop.

For what seemed like the millionth time that day, he took the ring from his subspace and turned it over and over, watching it glint and shine in the dim light. He had poured his spark into making this ring. He wanted it to be perfect, it had to symbolize his boundless devotion and love toward Starfeather. She meant more to him than anything else in the universe.

Terrorsaur gently closed his fingers over the ring before putting it back in his subspace. He would ask her tonight.

-x-

Now that there was a peace, everyone had considerably less real work to do other than base maintenance. However, Optimus still ordered monitor duty incase the Predacons grew restless.

Starfeather was stuck with this duty today. She let out a noisy sigh, her head resting on her fist. She was tapping through the camera visuals with her other hand.

"Boring forest, boring rocks, boring swamp, boring grassland, boring snow..." Her list of 'boring' locations went on for a little while until she started the cycle through again. She had to continue this for another hour. She sighed again.

"I hate monitor duty," she growled under her breath.

"Who doesn't?" a voice asked from behind her. She nearly jumped a mile high but laughed at herself when she registered who it was.

"Terrorsaur, it's just you," she said, turning in her seat to face him.

"Sorry if I scared ya," he replied, scratching the back of his head out of slight embarrassment.

"Was there something you wanted?" she asked. At that question, he suddenly became uneasy. She looked at him for a second and when he didn't say anything audible, she asked, "What did I say?"

"Oh no, it's nothing you said at all. But it has everything to do with you- I mean us, kinda- No, I mean," he stuttered. She tried not to giggle. She just stayed quiet and waited patiently for him to get his thoughts together. Finally, he managed to say, "Could we meet later? I can't say what I need to say here... Not here."

Starfeather was confused. "Okay, where would you like to meet?"

Terrorsaur quickly but carefully chose a place, the perfect place. "Tonight, at our special place."

**Meet me after dark again and I'll hold you**

_**Hold you...**_

"Which one?"

"Our old one. It's far enough out that Megatron won't notice us, I hope... Well uh, I gotta go- do something. I'll see you then." With that, he transformed to beast mode and left her scratching her head.

**I yearn nothing more than to see you there**

_**Hold you...**_

"What was that all about?" she wondered out loud.

Soon, she would find out

**And maybe tonight**

**We'll fly so far away**

**We'll be lost before the dawn**

Starfeather was waiting under the trees at the edge of their special clearing. It was raining. She could also see lightening in the distance and hear the rumble of thunder more then ten seconds afterward. She knew she shouldn't really be under the tree canopy but her scanners said it was improbable that the lightening would come this far.

Besides the lightening flashes, it was mostly dark. She wrapped her arms and wings closer around herself as water dripped from the branches and leaves onto her. She would shiver when the wind would gust, blowing more drops onto her drenched body.

Finally, she saw the one she had been waiting for. The pteranodon landed on the largest boulder closest to her and transformed. He gazed through the darkness with piercing crimson optics to search her out.

**If only night could hold you where I can see you my love**

**Then let me never ever wake again**

Starfeather hopped over the fence, smiling cheekily at him. "Finally!" she said, obviously pretending to be upset. She moved her arms to a crossed position, tapping her foot in the soggy grass and continued. "Why on Earth would you want to meet on a wretched night like this? I'm cold and wet and just want to go to bed."

**And maybe tonight**

Terrorsaur chuckled. "Believe me, I didn't expect the storm to pass this close," he replied, narrowing an optic playfully. "Anyway, antics aside, there are some... very important things I... I must say to you."

At that, she put on a curious look. She put her arms back around herself again and took another step forward. "Well, I've got all night, big boy."

**We'll fly so far away**

**We'll be lost before the dawn**

He slid off the rock and went to stand before her, taking her hands. The rain lightly pelted their armor. He looked into those beautiful pools of aqua green light. So peaceful, so welcoming... No, get a hold of yourself! You can kiss her all you want later! Tell her, ask her... "S-starfeather," he began. Oh great, he was off to a shaky start. C'mon, get your courage back! "I've never been one to really... put my more personal feels to words... but I'm going to try for you tonight."

She gazed steadily up at his smooth white face. It never ceased to amaze her at how human like Transformers were, but she listened closely to what he was saying.

"...E-ever since the day I met you, I felt _something_ stir in the very depths of my spark that I had never felt before. At first, I just ignored it. Then, as time passed, the feeling wouldn't go away and I... I wasn't sure what to make of these feelings. I began seeing you differently; not just as another femme or even a friend but... something more that I couldn't explain. Then when you would continually stay by my side and stand up for me, I realized what it was... I... I-I loved you."

At that, Starfeather flushed and smiled shyly, looking down and rubbing her thumb bashfully against the back of his hand. When he didn't continue, she asked quietly, "Are you finished?"

Terrorsaur shook his head and regained his courage once again. Why was this so hard? "No... Ever since Starscream first mentioned it, I've been wondering about this prospect for a long time but... the final call is up to you." That said, he reached into his subspace and brought out the object that he had poured all his time and effort into making for weeks to make it perfect for this moment, to make it perfect for her.

A flash of lightening struck a little over a mile away, lighting up the sky and the clearing for a brief second. Starfeather saw what Terrorsaur was holding and gasped, her optics widening. She covered her mouth with her hands and took a disbelieving step back. She had known this would happen someday, but to actually have it happening right now was... unbelievable.

**Somehow I know that we can't wake again from this dream**

Terrorsaur proceeded to get down on one knee, presenting the ring to her, and then asked a question similar to the one she had been expecting.

"Starfeather... will you become my bond mate?"

Her surprised expression turned to one of utter joy as she fell down to hug him around the neck tightly as the thunder rumbled. "Yes! Oh yes, I will!" she exclaimed, tears of pure happiness accumulating in her optics.

**It's not real but it's ours**

Starfeather knew that this was possibly one of the biggest decisions of her life, but she was positive that it wasn't a mistake. She would stay by Terrorsaur's side no matter what. She would love him unconditionally for as long as they lived. She would submit herself to his needs and follow him where ever he would lead her, even to the ends of the universe.

Terrorsaur hugged back, standing upright now. This had to be the best night of his life so far. He had found someone to spend the rest of his life with. Someone he could confide in for honest advice. Someone to always be there for him, even if the world turned its back on him. Someone he could always count on to be there when he needed a friend.

**Maybe tonight**

**We'll fly so far away**

**We'll be lost before the dawn**

Starfeather pulled back from him, her arms still around his neck, beaming up at him like the brightest star you've ever seen. Her tears trickled down her cheeks, mixing with the rainwater. Terrorsaur smiled back at her, taking her left hand and slipping the golden ring on the proper finger. She gazed at it adoringly, gently touching the garnet stone's smooth surface with her fingertips, before looking back to him. He nodded ever so slightly and brought her closer. They dimmed their optics and came together.

Slowly, as the lighting blazed and the thunder rolled and the rain fell all the harder, they lowered to the droplet laden grass and kissed deeper. They didn't care in the slightest where they were or what was going on around them. They had entered into their own domain.

As their passion grew, she clung to him all the tighter, wrapping her legs around his waist and trying to pull him as close to her as physically possible. He gave a raspy rumble in his throat, trailing his hands up her body. She curled her fingers, digging them into the back of his head.

He groaned in pleasure at the slight pain but he longed for this. He was so hungry for her love and there was nothing else in the universe that she wanted more. Not even to go home to her family and friends. Sure, she missed them dearly, but Terrorsaur was all she wanted now.

Then, his searching hand found its target: her spark chamber covering. He opened his own and yanked hers open. Starfeather gasped and opened her optics. She loosened her grip and stared at him.

"What are you doing?" she managed to ask, breathlessly.

He made optic contact with her and touched their foreheads together. "It's all right," he husked and pushed his spark into hers, moaning with possession.

Starfeather gasped again and her optics widened. She could feel a strange energy rushing throughout her body and through her spark. She shuddered violently. What was happening? What was Terrorsaur doing to her? She could never in a million years explain the bliss she felt at that moment.

Then memories that were not her own began flashing through her mind. She saw places and people she had never seen before. She heard voices and sounds and disjointed phrases. She could almost feel what was being felt by the person she was seeing through: pain, sadness, excitement, fear, anger, regret, pride. What were all of these things?

The energy now coursing through both of them was reaching its peak. Suddenly, it hit her. This was the bond part of _bond_ mate. That's what they were doing right now, binding one to the other to become one forever, 'til death do they part. She was seeing Terrorsaur's memories, hearing his thoughts and those that he had known, feeling what he had felt. Now she understood him just a little better.

There was a great flash and roar of thunder as if to dramatically conclude this special moment. The rain was coming down in torrents, clanging against their metal bodies, not that they noticed.

_This is too much!_ she seemed to shriek.

She could hardly contain herself. She had to do something to let all her bottled up emotions free. Terrorsaur felt Starfeather try to scream.

_No, don't end it yet,_ he pleaded.

Before she could pull away, he held behind her head and she screamed into his mouth. The line between their chests shown for a second then it was all over. It was done.

**Maybe tonight**

Gradually, Terrorsaur drew back to look at her, his spark back in its own chamber, still visible and pulsing rapidly. Starfeather's optics slowly came back on and her body relaxed. She was breathing heavily as her spark calmed down. She smiled crookedly up at him and he down at her.

"What did you do?" she asked softly. She had to make sure it was real and not just a trick of her imagination. It was too good to be true!

"I think you know perfectly well what I did," he replied in a horse whisper, moving in to kiss her again.

**We'll fly so far away**

They spent the whole night there in the soggy grass, just the two of them. The rain drizzled to a stop and the clouds ran away to reveal the shimmering stars and glowing moons in the velvet sky. Shafts of the silvery light illuminated the clearing. The due and raindrops on the grass and leaves of the great oak above them glittered like tiny diamonds as if to symbolize their bond for eternity.

They fell asleep together under the inky blue sky, forgetting that they should have gone back to the base but they didn't care. They slept until the sun arose at dawn and warmed their dampened metal bodies.

**We'll be lost before the dawn...**

Starfeather awoke to the sensation of her new mate brushing his fingers down the side of her cheek. She smiled, her optics still closed. "'Morning Screechy," she murmured.

"'Morning Star," he replied then lent over to kiss her forehead then her lips. She responded by snaking her arms around his neck and kissing back.

"The others are probably missing us by now," she reasoned after a while, between kisses.

"So what?" Terrorsaur muttered. "I've finally got you all to myself."

"Oh c'mon... Tell you what, once things get settled with the Predacon and Cybertron and stuff, we'll find a private place and you can do what ever you want with me. Okay?" she promised with a sly smile.

"What ever I want?"

"What ever you want."

"Well then, let's go." He growled playfully as he stood up and pulled her up with him.

"Sicko," she giggled.

They both transformed and took to the air. They told no one of what they done yet. They would wait for a more appropriate time. However, someone had witnessed some of their banter. It nearly made him sick but he knew it was now too late to do anything about it... yet. "Have fun while you can, silly girl," Tarantulas hissed then cackled quietly to no one in particular. "But you'll always be in _my_ shadow! Bwahahaha!"

-x-

Finally, Optimus presented a plan to his troops on how they could find out about what Megatron. He had Airazor and Rattrap pose as a distraction while Tigatron was the one to sneak inside and hack the computer.

The plan worked until Deltasurge caught the white tiger. He managed to escape but a brief 'battle' (if you want to call it that) ensued afterward. Tigatron got away with the information.

Now, Starfeather was lying beside her sleeping mate in their quarters but she couldn't sleep. She felt restless and agitated and deep down, she was... afraid. It was like a nightmare that she had first dreamt long ago and had forgotten but something was said or done to rouse memories of it. She suppressed a shudder of fear as she snuggled closer to Terrorsaur.

The aliens, who had made Stonehenge, the floating island, and who had put energon on the planet, were coming...

Everyone was considerably nervous about this, but Starfeather dreaded it. These aliens obviously weren't happy with them. They were unpredictable and powerful. Who knew what they would do to them? They could kill them all.

The raven whimpered and buried her face in Terrorsaur's chest. His grip around her tightened for a moment then relaxed. She sighed. There was nothing she or anyone could do but wait.

**AN:** Song: **Before the Dawn **by _Evanescence_


	38. Other Voices

**#38 - Other Voices**

Weeks passed. There were no battles or confrontations of any sort. Nothing.

This made Starfeather even happier about her life but, deep inside, she still had that same fear. Now that the alien signal was detected again, she was even more afraid. She had the gut wrenching feeling that something terrible was going to happen that day. Something so horrible, she almost felt sick to even consider what she was really scared of.

But her mate was there to try and comfort her.

Terrorsaur didn't have that same constant fear but he did feel like she had some instinct warning her about something. Something big. He didn't want her to dwell on these feelings. He didn't like seeing her so unhappy. A kiss to the lips and a murmur of those three words always got her perked up again... for a while, anyway.

-x-

Megatron was leading G-Force, Deltasurge, and Scorponok to where the alien signal was coming from. Moonscope had already been sent out to secure the area (but was forced to retreat) and the spiders had disappeared. Inferno had been sent after them.

Most of the Maximals were already at the location where the alien signal was detected but that didn't mater. Megatron walked right up to Optimus Primal and spoke with him for a moment about how they were going to get inside the alien 'bungalow'. It was shaped much like a short and fat mushroom. He then ordered Scorponok to attempt to blast a hole in the wall. It worked but Airazor had been trapped inside when the structure formed so Megatron allowed Optimus and Rattrap to go in first.

Once the two had disappeared inside, Megatron spoke to his team. "This is a calculated risk. We shall let the Maximals serve as primary targets. And if things should go awry..." he trailed off, looking to Scorponok for assurance to the plan.

"I gotta mega missile right here," the scorpion confirmed, clicking his claws. "I can fire it right through that hole."

"Excellent, now if only Inferno is doing his job."

"I have a bad feeling about all this," G-Force murmured.

"You've been saying that for weeks," Deltasurge said, poking him in the side with her tail tip. "You're starting to make _me_ feel jittery."

"You should be. If these aliens can create energon then what chance do we have if we're forced to fight them?" the hard-headed saurian argued.

"An excellent conclusion, G-Force," Megatron lightly praised. "However, if we can seize control of one of their own weapons before the Maximals, we just might gain an advantage, yes."

A moment or two of silence and it was shattered by a cry of agony from Optimus. The others flinched at the sudden outburst and wondered what was going on inside. Megatron, on the other hand, took to this noise differently.

"Ah, if I could have that sound lull me to sleep each night..."

The pachysufalosaurus glowered at him but movement from inside the alien structure turned all of their attention to the hole.

It was Rattrap and he appeared to be dragging Airazor outside. Just as the rat got himself and the falcon out, the hole healed. Rattrap fell to the ground on his back, panting at the effort of lugging the larger bird all the way here. Megatron transformed and signaled for Scorponok to get ready to fire.

Rattrap saw the two mechs standing over him and sighed. "Lemme guess; the truce is ova." He might as well said that they were all gonna die.

"What did you expect, vermin?" Megatron proceeded to laugh evilly. Deltasurge and G-Force took this as their cue to transform and take their aim on the two Maximals. The green and blue mech grimaced. He didn't want to have to kill anyone. He didn't see the sense in it. If these aliens were out to get both sides regardless, shouldn't they be working together to defend themselves against this danger rather than squabble pointlessly over an artifact?

-x-

Terrorsaur had been called out for back up. Now, he was crouched in beast mode behind the crest of the hill. He could see the Predacons surrounding Airazor and Rattrap but made no move to aid his cornered comrades. This might be the chance he'd been waiting for.

Suddenly, the whole structure began to glow and the light from it pulsed. This caused the Predacons to look at it in a mixture of confusion, wonder and fear at what might be happening inside. However, Rattrap took this opportunity to try and attempt an escape. He lunged and grabbed onto Scorponok's claw and shot one of his missiles at the Predacon leader. The blast forced him back several yards away from the group.

The scorpion turned to the rat. "Why you-!" But he was cut off.

"Back off!" Airazor ordered. During the may lay, she had been able to Maximize and took aim at the offending arachnid. Deltasurge also aimed at her target; the offending Maximal femme. Rattrap would have none of that and so he too transformed and blasted the brown and pink femme back against a near by boulder.

Naturally, this ticked off a certain mech. "Hey!" Scorponok shouted as he blindly shot at the rat but he missed. At the same moment, Optimus burst from the flashing structure. He landed a little ways away from his comrades and they came up to him, knowing that the scorpion and saurian were no threat as they went to help their downed comrade.

"Hey, big banana, what gives?" Rattrap asked nervously.

"They've started a termination sequence. Head back to base, on the double!" Optimus ordered.

"You just said my favorite phrase," Rattrap exclaimed before the Maximal leader grabbed him by the back of the neck and took off while shifting the rat onto his back, Airazor right behind.

Terrorsaur stayed low as they passed over head. They didn't see him and he smirked, turning his attention back to the Predacons still near the glowing alien structure. It began flashing brighter and G-Force and Scorponok, with Deltasurge hoisted between them, moved as quickly as they could away from it.

Terrorsaur lingered a little longer to see the structure glow even brighter as it changed shape, the top narrowing and elongating until it burst open to allow a beam of light into the sky. It hit the closest moon, making it glow as well. He stared at it with wonder and a flicker of fear. "These aliens mean business."

He readied to take off and tail the Predacons but stopped when he thought he heard a faint call and felt a light tug at his chest. _"Wait for me..."_ the familiar voice said. It was through their spark bond. He was still getting used to that.

"Starfeather," he murmured and looked back. Her black feathers were hard to spot in the twilight but he could just make her out. "Star, no!" he cried. "Go back!"

"Not without you!" she replied and landed in front of him. She leaned forward and rubbed her beak against his. "Why aren't you following Optimus and the others?"

The pterodactyl pulled away against his will. She stared at him in confusion. "Screechy...?"

"Go back to the Maximals," he said. "You'll be safe with them."

"Terrorsaur, what are you doing?" the raven demanded.

He transformed to robot mode and bade her to do the same. She did so and he seized her in his arms. She was surprised but leaned into him.

"Starfeather," he whispered. "Now I think is the best time to go back to Megatron and take him down. But I want you and Waspinator to stay with the Maximals. They'll keep you safe."

Starfeather pulled back and stared at him like he was insane. "Terrorsaur..." she murmured.

Slowly, the red mech loosed her arms from him and held both her hands in his own. He looked her directly in the optics. "I'm doing this for both our sakes... Go on, Star. You're the only thing I've ever cared about more than myself." He then gently and affectionately kissed her forehead before letting go of her hands and leaping into the air. He shifted back to his beast form before heading in the direction of the Predacon base. He didn't look back.

Starfeather stood where she was and watched her mate fly away until she couldn't see him anymore. He was gone... just like that. She could still feel him, sending reassurance. She sighed, knowing there was probably no way she could've stopped him. It was who he was and it was who she had fallen in love with. She couldn't change him and she knew it. He had to change himself.

The raven had half a mind to go after him but thought better of it. She didn't want to upset him further. At least she had gotten to say goodbye... She suppressed her tears as she leaped into the air and transformed, heading back to the Maximal base.

-x-

The trio was able to reach the Predacon base before their systems could be overtaken by energon radiation. Megatron was there waiting for them. Deltasurge insisted she was able to function so he had them put all scanners and visuals on the moon the beam was still pointed at. After a few minutes, the beam causing the moon to glow vanished hence the moon stopped glowing as well. It was very dark and hard to see in space.

Scorponok took this as a good sign. "They're leaving. We scared them away!" He said this looking back at Megatron.

"Hardly," Megatron scoffed. "Computer: activate space scanner."

G-Force growled quietly and turned back to the monitor showing the moon's position. He didn't see anything but black space. "It's gone." Moonscope stayed quiet by his side and listened and watched what was going on.

"The aliens have destroyed it," Deltasurge concluded.

"Dolt! It was never a moon! And it's far from gone," Megatron muttered the last part quietly. He then ordered the computer to magnify the image on screen.

The magnified imaged revealed that it was indeed not gone, only black as the void of space. It didn't stay that way. Shafts of light appeared from slits from pole to pole and it opened up like a deadly flower to become a giant ring. This allowed for the core to be visible. The core did a similar action to its outer shell, only it turned into something like a satellite dish with sharp, pointed edges like claws.

Deltasurge gasped and took a step away from the screen. "W-what is that thing?" she exclaimed.

"Well, I'd say it was the instrument of our destruction." Megatron answered. "Impressive, yes." He turned to the golden disc suspended in a yellow beam at his side and gave it a spin. He was beginning to feel some kind of a respect or kinship for these aliens.

"What'll we do?" Scorponok asked, his voice high with panic.

"Seal the base and charge all shields," the Predacon leader ordered. "I shall see to the rest." He then commanded the computer to activate a program that none of the other Predacons in the room had heard of before. It seemed that it had something to do with what ever Tarantulas was doing.

Megatron quickly became absorbed in what the computer was showing and telling him. Scorponok was busy watching the view screen. Moonscope glanced at everyone in the room and noticed a shadow with dimmed red optics. She studied the figure and it stared right back at her.

"Megatron," Scorponok suddenly stated, turning Moonscope's attention back to what was happening. "The alien machine is active again." He turned back to the view screen.

It sure was moving again. The core 'satellite dish' started to become charged with energy. Beams then shot from the edges toward the center and created one larger beam that fired down at the planet. Sensors began warning that the surface temperature outside the base was growing hotter.

"Brilliant!" Megatron declared. "They're causing a chain reaction that will ignite the energon deposits and rip this planet to atoms and destroy all traces of them!" He paused dramatically. "Simply to deal with us. What shear ruthlessness, what disregard for sentient life!" He paused again then spoke mostly to himself. "I rather like these aliens."

Most of the other Predacons were stunned at what their leader had said. "Like them?" Deltasurge was the first to speak. "They're trying to destroy us!"

"And everything else on this planet!" G-Force added.

"I don't want to be blown apart," Deltasurge whined. "I still have things I want to do!"

"Megatron will save us," Scorponok said assuredly.

Now the shadowed figure chose to show himself. He stepped out from the dark corner and scoffed. "Get a clue you walking dunce bucket! Mega-moron doesn't give a piece of _scrap_ about any of us!" Terrorsaur shouted, pointing accusingly at Megatron.

The Predacon leader, taken by surprise for a single second at the red mech's appearance, glared back at him. "Ah, Terrorsaur, my traitorous flier," he calmly greeted the intruder. "What brings you here on such an occasion?"

Terrorsaur had an answer ready. "I've seen the error in joining the Maximals," he started. "They're too soft-sparked for their own good and nothing ever gets done. I couldn't stand it anymore!"

Megatron was not convinced in the slightest. He eyed the red mech thoughtfully. "And what of Starfeather and Waspinator?" he asked.

The pteranodon paused for one second. "They didn't want to come back, they were afraid of you." Then he narrowed his optics. "But I'm not afraid of you. Not any more."

"I see," Megatron replied simply but he had other things to attend to. "Alright, you may stay. Get to an empty station." He then began his work in altering what Tarantulas had planned to do that seemed to be taken over by Optimus Primal...

-x-

As soon as Blackarachnia and Tarantulas had burst into the control room, Bluesprite had screamed at Waspinator to grab Snowball and hide. The wasp had done so and had locked the youngling an empty C.R. chamber. "Zzztay in there," he said, albeit nervously. "Wazzpinator will protect Fox-bot."

Snowball nodded and curled up on the floor bellow the hatch window. She hoped her father and her friends were okay.

-x-

When Starfeather had caught up and returned to the base with the others, they met up with Cheetor and Tigatron and went inside the base. They found Dinobot, Rhinox, and Bluesprite strung to the ceiling in webbing. Optimus ordered that they be taken down and put into C.R. chambers and that he wanted the entire ship searched for the others and for the culprits.

Airazor and Rattrap were a team while Starfeather hunted alone. She knew the ways of the spiders and could handle them by herself. The first person she found was Waspinator standing guard in front of an offline C.R. chamber. The raven and the wasp lowered their weapons.

"Waspy, what are you doing down here?" Starfeather asked.

Waspinator indicated toward the chamber. "Wzzpinator protecting little Fox-bot," he answered.

"Is she okay?" Starfeather moved to open the chamber and check on the youngling.

"Yezz, sizzy bot ask Wazpinator to hide Fox-bot," he answered as the other opened the chamber to reveal the cowering arctic fox. She immediately relaxed when she saw who was outside.

"Are the spiders gone?" Snowball asked nervously. Her question was answered when the raven's comm. link went off. It was Optimus.

_"Starfeather, Airazor and Rattrap have located and disabled the spiders. Have you found anything on your end?"_

"Yes," she replied. "I found Waspinator and Snowball and they're not injured."

_"Wonderful,"_ the Maximal leader sounded relieved. _"Have you heard anything from Terrorsaur yet? He still hasn't returned from the alien sight."_

Waspinator was now curious and worried. Starfeather didn't say anything for a moment. "He went back to the Predacons," she answered reluctantly.

_"I see,"_ Optimus paused. _"Come down to the stasis pod bay after you take Snowball and leave her in my quarters."_

"I don't wanna hide in your room daddy," Snowball suddenly spoke up. "I want to see what's happening..." Her ears slowly went back and she wished she hadn't said anything.

Optimus sighed on his end before replying. _"Alright, but just this once."_


	39. The Aftermath

**#39 - The Aftermath**

About half an hour ago, everyone had grouped in the stasis pod storage bay. The burnt tarantula had been placed in a holding cell, even though they presumed him dead. An unconscious Inferno had also been put in a cell. The Maximals had discovered what Tarantulas had attempted and what Blackarachnia had completed. An empty stasis pod rigged into something like an escape craft.

They had come up with a plan to put it to better use. Someone would fly it up into the alien weapon, clog the works and eject before it exploded. Tigatron then Cheetor offered to go but a flier would be better equipped for the job so Airazor said she would go. Then Starfeather said that she should go because she wasn't going to sit around and do nothing while her home crumbled down around her and her friends. Optimus turned them all down, stating that he was going to go.

He knew that whoever went up there most likely wouldn't come back. He knew that Tigatron and Airazor and Cheetor were all still relatively young and had their whole lives ahead of them. He knew that if anything happened to Starfeather, Waspinator and Terrorsaur would go mad. He also knew that Snowball had wonderful people around her that would help her grow up and try their hardest to get her home again.

He had to do this for all their sakes.

"Promise you'll come back?" Snowball asked hopefully.

Optimus smiled sadly as he kneeled before. He put his hand to the side of her face and she clung to his wrist, eagerly awaiting his answer. He knew that he might break this promise but there was still a chance that he would return. "I promise," he replied, hoping that fate would allow him to fulfill that promise. He then looked to Starfeather. "Take care of her while I'm gone."

The raven nodded. "With my life, sir."

However, during the commotion, Blackarachnia was able to slip away.

-x-

All optics were glued to the view screens as the pod was sucked into the center of the beam hence into the center of the alien weapon. Everyone held their breath, waiting for their leader to eject. Starfeather's optics widened. _No! Big Bot!_

It was too late.

The alien weapon exploded in a giant wave of energy and debris. Everyone gasped. _No..._ Snowball, who was now in beast form, looked back at Airazor. "He... he's okay, right?" she asked, her voice small and shaky. "Daddy's okay, right?"

Starfeather didn't know how to answer. Everyone felt a pang of sympathy for the youngling as she turned her gaze to everyone, looking for someone to answer her. Finally, Tigatron spoke. "Optimus is fine, little one," he answered. "We just cannot see him anymore."

She didn't understand. "Why not? He's supposed to come back," she said with determination, more to assure herself than anything.

"He's... not coming back, Snow," Starfeather managed to say, on the verge of tears. The little fox stared up at her, understanding dawning on her face. Yet she didn't want to believe it.

"No... no!" she screamed and transformed to robot mode and stamped her foot. "He said he'd come back! He promised! He never breaks... his... promise..." She buried her face in her hands and wailed for her father.

Airazor knelt and took the youngling in her arms, supporting her where she stood. Starfeather let her tears fall and only allowed a sob to escape. Waspinator slunk to her side and clung to her around her waist. She rubbed his helm and glanced at Cheetor, who had collapsed into a consol chair.

"I should have been flying that ship," he said dejectedly. Tigatron placed a hand on the younger mech's shoulder.

"Optimus did what he thought was best and saved us and the entire planet doing it," the tiger comforted.

"But why Optimuzz not leave ship?" Waspinator lamented.

-x-

However, the Predacons were laughing in triumph over this victory. Well, most of them. Terrorsaur, Moonscope and G-Force remained silent. G-Force felt like Megatron had needlessly murdered the Maximal leader. He eyed the Predacon leader with growing contempt.

Moonscope had never found death amusing. As a medic, she was accustomed to it but it was not something that carried humor.

Terrorsaur didn't know why but he felt something like genuine loss. Optimus had, even though he wouldn't admit it, been a little something more than just a leader. Terrorsaur had a respect for him that he never gave Megatron. Megatron didn't deserve it. But Primal...

"You've done it Megatron!" Scorponok's outburst shattered the red mech's train of thought. The Second's praise was literally pushed aside.

"Yes, I am good, aren't I?" Megatron boasted then became more serious. "But we can discus my brilliance later. Now there is work to be done."

"What kinda work?" Deltasurge asked.

"The Predacon kind," their leader answered. "We must destroy the remaining Maximals while they mourn their tragically departed leader. Moonscope, what do things look like outside?"

"The surface temperature is nearing its normal levels, sir," the owl reported, keeping her voice level. Then the sensors picked up something else. "Wait..." she breathed as she read the results and her optics winded. "There's a quantum surge heading straight for us!"

Megatron turned to his other troops. "To your stations, quickly!" he barked. They did so but the base soon started to tremble and quake.

"Exterior shields at maximum!" G-Force informed.

"There're power fluctuations all over the board! They'll never hold!" Deltasurge exclaimed.

"Then make them hold!" Megatron growled. "I didn't destroy Optimus Primal just to be destroyed myself!"

"Of course, _sir_. We wouldn't want to lose a selfish, aft-head excuse for a leader," Terrorsaur grumbled under his breath as he tried to hold on to something and keep the shields stable. He was nearly knocked off the platform as the base began to shake even more violently.

That's when things turned up-side down. Things like tiny shooting stars shot all around them. Moonscope observed that the specks shot right through herself and Deltasurge and G-Force. However, their leader had begun to glow.

The quaking became so violent that Megatron fell to the floor of the base. Terrorsaur's and Scorponok's hover pads malfunctioned, causing them to collide into one another. Deltasurge turned just in time to watch them fall and scream.

"Scorponok!" she cried but she was powerless to stop the scene.

Terrorsaur's last thought before everything went black was, _Please let Starfeather, Waspinator and Bluesprite are alright..._

Megatron managed to stand up but fell back to his knees as the aurora around him shone brighter. "What is happening to me?" he roared, pain prominent in his voice. He collapsed and moved no more.

-x-

Snapped wires sparked all around. Loosened beams groaned against the weight of gravity upon them. There were no signs of life, even from the four still figures on the floor below the control chair. But from the C.R. tank, one hulled himself up to fill his air pumps with oxygen.

"Hey... I'm alive!" he said to himself, laughing childishly. Suddenly, he was shoved out of the tank and onto the floor and a second mech gasped for breath. Scorponok glared back at Terrorsaur. "What was that for?"

"Your aft was in my face," the red mech growled.

"No, your face was in my butt."

A thud caused them both to look up. There was a dark figure with glowing red eyes standing over them and it looked something like their leader. "M-Megatron?" the scorpion wondered. "Um, what happened?"

"I've had a change for the better, _yes_," the reformatted Predacon leader answered. His form now was more robust and dark. He no longer had his Tyrannosaurus head for a hand. _A minor loss_, he thought as he looked himself over once again. "The surge has altered my superstructure," he said, more or less to announce himself. "I wonder why your forms were not changed..."

He then looked back down at his side and saw near the edge of the floor, Deltasurge had fallen. Close by were Moonscope and G-Force. The green and blue mech sat up first. He caught sight of Megatron and stared at him as if he didn't recognize him, which he didn't for a moment, then frowned.

Terrorsaur looked at himself, slightly wishing that he had an upgrade too. He wondered if Starfeather gotten an upgrade and if so, he wondered how she looked. She must be... Come to think of it, he couldn't feel her presence anymore. He would have panicked if Megatron had not ordered them to prepare for an attack on the Maximal base.

When Deltasurge woke up, once she saw Scorponok, she leaped to her feet and caught the Second in Command around the neck. "I thought you were a goner, mate!" she exclaimed.

"I'm fine, Deltasurge," he urged as he soaked in her affection.

However, Terrorsaur wasn't paying attention. He was worried, almost literally sick, that Starfeather hadn't made it through the surge. Was she really dead? Was she just in stasis lock? What was going on at the Maximal base right now?

-x-

Tigatron and Airazor were the first up. They checked themselves for damage then turned to help their comrades only to find that most of them had gone through some sort of transformation. Rattrap, Cheetor, and Waspinator awoke to find themselves shiny and covered in chrome. They had slightly different color schemes than before and some new attributes. Rattrap had wheels like a go-car, Cheetor had thrusters in beast mode, and Waspinator had a third jet like alt. mode.

He only had one complaint.

"Why Wazzpinator have to be pink?" he sighed as he looked at himself in the reflection on the C.R. chamber. He was now a dark magenta color. "Wazpinator have enough zzzelf ezzteem issuez."

Snowball's attention was turned from the new looks of her friends to one that was still unconscious. The fox was still in robot mode and kneeled down beside the black and silver femme. "Starfeather, wake up," she pleaded as she shook the unmoving form.

Her coaxing earned the attention of the others. A surge of concern swept over Cheetor, causing him to also kneel beside Starfeather. He checked for a spark pulse then stared at her black optics in disbelief.

"She's..." He had to force himself to go on. "She's dead."

Mourning for their lost team mates didn't last long. They realized that Blackarachnia had disappeared and they needed to check on the ones in C.R. chambers. Rhinox, Dinobot, and Bluesprite all came out unaltered and uninjured.

Bluesprite was very saddened at hearing Starfeather hadn't made it. While Tigatron, Airazor, Cheetor, and Rattrap searched for the black widow and Rhinox and Dinobot began working to get the ship's defense systems back online, Bluesprite and Waspinator took the raven's body from the control room and moved it to her quarters for the time being until they could hold a cremation service.

The humming bird sighed. "Screechy's gonna be so upset... I kinda hope they didn't bond yet, y'know?"

Waspinator said nothing. He was afraid to talk because he might break down crying. He wanted to be strong for his lost friend. He simply nodded in reply.

They reached her room and gently laid her on her bed. That's when the metallic wasp noticed the gold ring on Starfeather's finger. He made a sad razzing noise and pointed to her hand. Bluesprite looked and her shoulders drooped. "They must have done something..." she said and decided to take the ring and give it to Terrorsaur the next time she saw him...

Where was he anyway?

-x-

Terrorsaur paid little attention to all else going on around him. He was so worried that something had happened to his mate that he wanted to get to the Maximal base as soon as he could. He refused to give up trying to reach out for her even though he felt nothing back. He pressed as far as he could on the journey but still she gave no sign of coming back to him.

Moonscope sensed that her wing mate was extremely distressed about something. She flew nearer to him and, making sure Megatron wasn't paying them any mind, asked the pteranodon what was wrong.

Terrorsaur was unsure if he should tell the owl. Why should he? He might not be able to trust her. Finally, feeling like he had to at least tell someone, he said quietly, "I can't feel my mate."

Moonscope felt a pang of sympathy for him. "I am sorry. Who hoo was your mate?"

He paused for a long moment and watched the ground flow beneath them. "Starfeather..."

"Oh," She nodded in understanding. "I don't know what to hoo say."

"Then don't say anything," Terrorsaur snapped, surprising the other but she respected his feelings and said no more.

The rest of the trip was quiet until they reached the Maximal base. Airazor and Tigatron had Blackarachnia cornered. Megatron took them out easily and confronted the she-spider. He demanded that she give him one good reason why he should keep her alive.

"Because I'm the only real scientist you have," she answered.

Megatron looked to Moonscope thoughtfully. "I'm a medical officer, not a scientist, sir," she said.

He glanced at Scorponok. "I'm just a mechanic," he said.

Megatron growled in irritation. He did need a scientist. That's why he had had Tarantulas in the first place. He then roughly grabbed the black and gold femme by the throat and brought her to his face. "You are a clever one," he hissed. "But betray me again and you will wish that you had never come online."

"Point taken," she rasped. He promptly dropped her and barked position orders. Everyone went to their ordered locations and waited for the Maximals. Rattrap and Cheetor were the first to exit. The Predacons attacked then Bluesprite and Waspinator came out. Shots were exchanged until Bluesprite spotted her brother.

"Hey Terrorsaur!" she called and flew toward him.

He looked her way and had half a mind to aim his blaster at her until he saw she was holding something out to him. He let her come to him and she took on a solemn expression. She took his unoccupied hand in both of hers. "I'm so sorry..." she murmured and left a small object in his hand.

Terrorsaur stared at her then looked to see what she had given him. His face contorted to a look of pure spark-break. It was the ring he had made... He almost couldn't look back up at his sister. "She... she's really gone..." His voice was breaking.

Bluesprite, with surprising tenderness, wrapped her arms around him in a comforting hug. "I'm so sorry," she repeated. Even more surprisingly, Terrorsaur hugged back, clenching the ring tight in his hand. They soaked comfort from each other through their own twin sibling link until the sounds of battle drew them back to reality.

"After this is over, do you want to come see her?" Bluesprite asked.

Terrorsaur wanted to but he knew that he couldn't. "I can't," he said.

"Of course you can," she retorted. "We just put her in-"

"No, you don't understand." He cut her off. "I'm with Megatron again."

The blue femme stared at him in confusion. "Wha?"

"I can't explain it now so just go back," Terrorsaur muttered, pulling back from her and holding up his gun. "But thanks for giving me this back," he said as he tucked the ring in his subspace.

Still stunned by what he just said, Bluesprite nodded anyway. "You're welcome..."

-x-

The Predacons had retreated and the Maximals were left to pick up the pieces. Megatron had a few things to say to Terrorsaur that he hadn't had time to say before. Licking his wounds, the red mech reached the door to his old room and once inside, leaned heavily against the door. He sighed loudly, almost moaning in misery. _She's gone... she's gone for good._ His mind kept reeling at the reality of it.

"Oh Star... my shining star..." he murmured, sliding to the floor. He wanted to cry, he wanted to cry for her loss, but he wouldn't let himself. _If only tears could bring you back to me..._

He was startled out of his misery when someone knocked on his door. Terrorsaur reluctantly stood up, not at all in the mood for visitors, but allowed whoever it was to come in. He was a bit surprised to see it was G-Force. All he did was stare questioningly at the green and blue mech.

So G-Force took this as a sign to say what he had to say and get out. He reached into his subspace and held out a folded and wrinkly piece of paper. "I was too slow to return this so I deduced that I should leave you to decide what to do with it," he said.

Terrorsaur carefully took the paper from him and briefly looked it over. G-Force nodded to him and left without another word. The red mech could only wonder what this was so unfolded the paper. He saw it must be a page from Starfeather's little paper pad she called her diary. She had shown it to him before and showed him how to read a little bit. Painfully, he read:

_Date N/A_

_Dear Diary,_

_My mind is made up... Terrorsaur or Waspinator come with me or not, I'm... I can't take another day of lies and... the Maximals' cause. I'd be more of a help to them if I..._

_I... Terrorsaur will come with me... what I pulled. I was so stupid to think that he could take a little... like a... on his face. I forgot he prided his face..._

_My only... is why a Sharpie marker doesn't stick to our armor plating... Yeah, not... but I would like to know_

He couldn't read all of it but what was this first part about? Where was she going? What lies and why are the Maximals mentioned? He read it again and more questions came. She was helping them? Why?

Wait, this last part of the paragraph he was sure said "among them". Was she planning on leaving in the first place?

Then he studied the second paragraph then understood a little better. Starfeather must have written this before she ran out after he had shunned her that night. Guilt returned but he remembered that they had forgiven and forgotten. Then he wondered, it said "can't take" a word he couldn't read, then "day of lies". What did she mean "day of lies"? Megatron's lies? Maybe the answer was in this part. He tried to say the word aloud.

"H... harm... ing, harming... harming the Maximals' cause?" Why would she not want to harm their cause? Hmm...

Unless she had been secretly working for them. Well, he didn't blame her if she had. Maybe he should have thought of also doing that a long time ago. That would really have helped kick out Megatron so he could take command. But why didn't she tell him?

He sighed and, folding the page back up, gently placed it in his own subspace. "I guess I'll never know..."

**AN:** You would not believe how many times I've had to change the outcome of this whole thing. Argh! I wanted to rip my hair out!

And yes, Waspy is a Transmetal now. Why did I choose him over Screechy to be a Transmetal? Well, TM Waspy is cool as one and, let's face it, TM Terrorsaur is kinda ugly... Yeah, so just be happy.

And yes, Starfeather is dead. Don't ask, just keep reading. (evil sweet smile)


	40. Coming of the Fuzors

**#40 - Coming of the Fuzors**

Less than an hour after the battle, the computers at both bases warned that five stasis pods had fallen in the vicinity. The rest had fallen at different locations all over the planet. Fortunately for the Maximals, one of the pods had landed just in sight of their base.

"At least this one fell where we could see it," Rattrap commented, raping a knuckle on the hatch.

"Yeah, but three more landed in Pred territory," Cheetor said glumly from where he stood beside Rhinox. "And who knows where the others landed."

"And that is what Airazor and I are going to find out," Tigatron replied. Before they had left the base to retrieve this pod, he and Airazor had agreed to travel together to cover for each other in collecting the pods. He turned to the falcon and bowed. "After you, m'lady."

Airazor nodded with a smile and went beast mode. "Keep the fuel rods warm," she said to Rhinox. "We'll keep in touch."

With that, the two headed out. Rhinox and Cheetor watched them leave. "Journey well friends," the rhinoceros murmured. "You are part of this planet; let its heart guide your own."

"Be careful big cat," Cheetor said his farewell to Tigatron via comm. He received low chuckle from the white tiger.

_"Always, little cat."_

They then heard a groan of disgust from the metallic rat. "_Agh_, are you two going soft in the circuits or what?" Rhinox gave him a look and he surrendered. "Eh come on, why're we lettin' dis guy snooze? Let's crack da egg and say hello." Rattrap tapped the stasis pod hatch again for emphasis.

Rhinox shook his head. "Not this one, it's a blank," he said sadly.

"Aw man, if that don't cut da cheese," Rattrap grumbled.

They could only hope that the pods near Megatron were dead too. Better dead than serve Megatron.

-x-

Unfortunately, they were mostly functional and now activating. However ,one pod and the protoform inside had been obliterated and their pieces were strewn about the dusty ground. Two other stasis pods were malfunctioning but the last one was not so severely damaged. All three hatches opened about the same time.

Out of the two that were malfunctioning came two strange creatures. One examined himself and then his companion. "Well now," he drawled. "What've we got here?"

The other creature was just getting his footing outside of his pod. He shook his head to try and clear the fog from his mind. "Who... are you?" he asked, unsure of his voice but gaining confidence. "For that matter, who am I?" He examined his bird-like foreclaw curiously.

The third pod opened and a furry white animal came out. She cautiously sniffed the air and rotated her ears toward the voices of her companions. She silently crept around her pod and gazed at the other two, narrowing her eyes thoughtfully. One was a gray wolf with golden eagle wings and tail. The other was a yellow and turquoise scaled scorpion with a cobra head on his tail.

With his sharp hearing, the wolf bird turned to see their watcher. He tilted his head. "Why are you back there?" he wondered.

The other stepped out to reveal herself as a white wolf. "I didn't know if you were an enemy or not," she answered.

"I don't know about you, little lady," said the scorpion snake. "But those fellas over yonder might be." He waved a claw toward the distance.

-x-

Though Terrorsaur was mourning his spark out inside, he still determined to do what Megatron told him. He knew that he would probably never gain the Predacon leader's trust, but he had to get close enough to him to strike. Before he did that, he would have to gain some inside support. Maybe he could talk to the protoforms that were already here. Moonscope seemed likely to listen to him. Perhaps G-Force too.

Yes, he was still going to try and take over the Predacons, even though his mate was gone. The only ones he had left were his siblings and he had to cut Megatron out of the picture for their sakes at the least. After all the things they had done for him, it was time he did something for them.

-x-

The winged wolf and the white wolf saw two red specks that were rapidly growing larger and more into shape. "How do you know he is an enemy?" the wolf bird asked.

Suddenly, the larger figure gave a shout and fired at them, blowing the three into the air and into a heap on the other side of one of the pods. After untangling from each other, the scorpion snake's tail hissed. "That low-down varmint thinks he's tougher than me," he grumbled.

"But we have done nothing to him," the wolf bird pointed out. "Surely this is just a misunderstanding."

They heard another screeching shout. "Inferno, you moron! Those are the protoforms!"

"Protoforms?" the white wolf repeated.

"I'll tell ya what they're misunderstanding," the scorpion snake snarled. "They're misunderstanding my need to kick their kisters!" Without so much as a warning, he leaped out from their shelter and gave a battle cry as he latched his claws onto the pyromaniac, repeatedly biting him with his snake tail.

The white wolf shook her head. "What an idiot," she muttered.

Inferno laughed at the strange creature but Terrorsaur managed to grab hold of its tail... or neck. He yanked it off of the fire ant and attempted to keep him on the ground. The fuzor struggled and cursed as he tried to break free.

"Would you stop squirming and listen to me!" the red mech screeched as he dodged the snapping claws.

Inferno, however, had turned his attention to the other protoforms watching the scene from behind a stasis pod. "Insolate fools!" he crowed. "Burn in the fires of Inferno!" He yelled as he pulled out his ridiculously large flame thrower and attempted to char the dogs when he was knocked to the side by a large stiffened metallic tail.

Megatron turned around, muttering something to himself, before ordering Terrorsaur off the mix-matched arachnid. Terrorsaur, surprisingly happy to oblige, leaped upwards and away from the slashing claws and teeth.

Now having nothing better to do, the scorpion snake turned to face this new intruder. "You wanna wrasle, partner?" he threatened.

"Why don't you and your cohorts listen to what I have to say first?" Megatron offered in a silky tone.

The fuzer huffed. "I ain't the listenin' type."

"I think we all know that by now," the white wolf scoffed but eyed the metal T. Rex and pteranodon mech warily.

"I think we should listen to him," the winged wolf suggested, ready to trust this seemingly polite individual.

"First, allow me to introduce myself. I am Megatron." He tipped his head toward them in a slight courteous bow. "And secondly, I do apologize for my Lieutenant's, ahem, misguided pyrotechnics."

"Apology accepted," the wolf bird replied with a courteous bow of his own.

The scorpion snake gaped at the other fuzer. "You trust this tin-horned toad?"

"And why should he not?" Megatron asked, sounding as if slightly hurt that the scorpion snake still did not trust him to some extent. "After all, we are all Predacons, are we not?" His gaze rested on the white wolf now. "Or is there a spy among us?"

The white wolf was uncomfortable under the Predacon leader's stare. Her ears drew back against her head but she stared right back into his optics, challenging his authority. "How could I be a spy?" she demanded. "I just came out of that... thing." She waved her tail back toward the stasis pods.

"Well according to my scanners, you are a Maximal." Megatron hid a smirk.

"So?" she shrugged.

Megatron then went to explain that the Maximals were cruel, energon-thirsty tyrants that wanted nothing but to destroy the Predacons just because they didn't see things the same way. Frankly, the two canines had doubts and so did the arachnid.

"You blow a pretty tune, stranger," he drawled. "But it's still hot air to me, 'less you can back your claim."

"But of course my good, erm..." Megatron paused, not having received the names of the protoforms.

"Call me Quickstrike," he replied, flashing the fangs of his cobra tail. "And good's got nothin' to do with it," he added darkly.

After a moment, the winged wolf looked up. "I think my name is Silverbolt; pure, strong, and fast."

"I'll call myself Tundra," the white wolf stated.

With that, Megatron showed them how to transform, welcomed them to the Predacon ranks, and he told them some 'fundamentals' of being a Predacon. However, Tundra noticed the red flier's subtle scowl as the metal saurian jabbered about teamwork and cooperation. She wondered what this guy's problem was.

Eventually, as they were getting ready to leave, one of the horrid Maximals flew overhead then swerved to make a hasty retreat when Megatron and Terrorsaur fired on him. "Terrorsaur: hold your fire. Silverbolt: pursue and destroy," the Predacon leader ordered, wanting see just how obedient his newest flier was.

Silverbolt hesitated. "Why?" he finally asked. "He is not attacking."

Megatron growled in irritation and gave the silver mech a warning shot. "Never question my orders, now go!"

Punishment taken, Silverbolt shifted back to his beast form and took flight after Cheetor. Megatron then ordered Inferno to carry Quickstrike and Terrorsaur to take Tundra. Rides and passengers gave each other uncertain glares before submitting, not wanting any of the punishment that Silverbolt had taken seconds before.

Quickstrike climbed onto Inferno's back while Terrorsaur had to carry Tundra in his arms. Neither were comfortable at this prospect, Terrorsaur perhaps more so. He didn't want to hold another femme in such a manner and Tundra didn't want to be held by a mech in such a manner but neither had a choice in the matter.

However, Terrorsaur was going to make the best of this. Making sure he was flaying at the back of the pack, he tried to strike up a conversation. "So what do you think of our fabulous leader?" he wondered.

"I can taste the sarcasm on your breath," Tundra replied. "But to answer your question, I think Megatron has more than one face."

"You don't know how true that is," Terrorsaur muttered. "Would you like to maybe get rid of him?"

She looked up at him suspiciously. "I'm online for ten minutes and already you want me to join a rebellion?"

"Who said anything about a rebellion? I'm just wondering." He shrugged. "Almost everyone at the base feels like that."

"I see," Tundra temporarily turned her attention to the others up ahead chasing after the flying Maximal cat. Silverbolt had been outsmarted and taken out for the time being while Megatron was hit by Rattrap, who had come to Cheetor's rescue. They, along with Dinobot and Bluesprite, took shelter behind a large boulder.

Megatron called all the Predacons to gather around him and ready for what he was certain would be the final battle. Tarantulas was back and also a Transmetal. G-Force, Moonscope, Scorponok, and Deltasurge followed and all lined up to face where the Maximals were sheltering. The Maximals made a counter line, armed to the teeth with extra weapons.

Both sides stared each other down and sized each other up. Time seemed to slow. Then as if by a silent signal, they fired on each other. The missiles flew through the air and oddly enough all impacted between the lines. The blast blew the Maximals back. They landed in a heap back behind their boulder.

The Predacons continued raining lasers and projectile fire on them until Megatron ordered a cease fire to maybe coax the Maximals out into the open. However, Silverbolt was a little confused about all this. "Sir," he said. "I can't help but notice that we outnumber them more than two to one."

"Yes," Megatron replied.

"We have twice their fire power."

"Yes," he growled, eager to be rid of the enemy and not having patience for this fuzor's rambling.

"Don't you think we should give them a chance to surrender?"

"Um, no." Megatron beat the poor fuzor back against a rock face. "Question my command again and I will tear you limb from miss-matched limb!"

Terrorsaur sighed and turned his attention away from his comrades and toward the Maximals. He half expected to see Starfeather with them. All he saw was Cheetor, Dinobot, Rattrap, and his sister. He vaguely wondered where Rhinox and Waspinator were. Then it hit him like a lightening bolt. If Megatron was going to destroy the Maximals, that meant Waspinator and Bluesprite as well. Terrorsaur couldn't let that happen. He needed to defeat Megatron now... but how?

"Argh, this is hopeless," he muttered to himself. "What was I thinking?"

"What're you whispering about, mate?" Deltasurge asked.

He decided to risk it. "Do you like Megatron or not?" he demanded quietly.

"Uh, no," she answered. "Who does beside Inferno?"

"Do you want to help me get rid of him?"

"Sure," the she-crock nodded then narrowed her red optics. "But what's in it for me, pretty boy?"

"What ever you want," he answered, ignoring what she called him. "I'll make sure of that when I take over then."

She shrugged but shook his hand on it. "Alrighty then, _sir_, I'll be sure to let you know what I want in return when you're in the hot seat."

"Yeah, yeah, but I need your help now." He pointed toward to four Maximals. "You see that blue femme? She's my sister and if Megatron has his way, he's going to kill her. Do something to keep the Maximals from getting killed."

"Okay, I'll try." Deltasurge gave him the 'I'm watching you' hand signal and headed over toward Scorponok. Terrorsaur hoped that the Second in Command could be trusted if she told him.

The fight wore on until Silverbolt had something else to say. "These Maximals are fools," he exclaimed. "We flank their position, they should retreat, yet still they fight."

"Ah," For once, Megatron thought his newest flier said something remotely intelligent. "The Maximals are many things but fools they are not." He then looked past the battling Maximals and toward their base and saw what he guessed was some sort of transmission beam. "They're trying to keep us away from their base," he deduced. "Terrorsaur, Silverbolt: circle wide and converge on the Maximal base."

The mechs did as they were told but Terrorsaur flew near beside the other. "Why are we doing this?" he asked.

"Because Megatron said to," Silverbolt answered.

"And why do we listen to Megatron?" Terrorsaur pressed.

"Because he will punish us if we don't obey," the winged wolf answered then glanced at the pteranodon. "Why are you asking me this?"

"I want to know if you want to help me and a few select others save the Maximals' hides and over throw Megatron," the red mech offered. "Please, we could use someone with your... reasoning abilities."

Silverbolt perked his ears and thought about this offer. "Alright, I'll help."

"Great," Terrorsaur grinned. "Now, when we get to the Maximal base, we make a diversion and- bwack!" He was cut off when Cheetor rammed heavily into his chest. The wind knocked from him, he lost his sense of direction and fell but a pair of arms caught him.

"Cheetor!" Bluesprite sassed. "What do you think you're doing!"

"Stopping them," the chrome-plated cheetah replied heatedly and turned to attack Silverbolt next.

"Wait..." Terrorsaur wheezed. "Not fighting..."

Cheetor stopped. "What?"

"What my comrade is trying to convey," Silverbolt intervened. "Is that we are going to stop Megatron's plan from succeeding."

Bluesprite suddenly squealed happily and gave her beloved brother a squeeze. "I _knew_ you wouldn't really betray us!"

Terrorsaur gasped, his optics beginning to lose focus. "Can't... breathe..."

-x-

Meanwhile, the remaining Predacons were chasing Rattrap, who was taxiing a reluctant Dinobot, toward the Maximal base. Tarantulas had been taken out while Megatron and Inferno had some complications and the Maximals got away.

Tundra, Scorponok, G-Force, Deltasurge, Quickstrike, and Moonscope were left. They were surprised to find the four Maximals talking with Terrorsaur and Silverbolt. They looked up when the Predacons surrounded them.

"What's going on here?" Scorponok demanded.

Before anyone could say anything, Deltasurge stepped in front of him. "Remember what I've been telling you?" she said. "Well, we're taking action. We're tired of Megatron abusing us. We want him gone."

The scorpion was shocked. "Megatron does not abuse us!" he defended.

"Yes, he does," Silverbolt spoke up. "Have you not seen what he's done to me?"

"And what about me?" Terrorsaur said then pointed a finger at the Second in Command. "And what about Waspinator and Starfeather when they were with us? And what about you, Scorponok? How many times has Megatron _not_ beaten you for some failure?"

The gray mech looked doubtful, knowing very well that what Terrorsaur was saying was true. "Well..."

"C'mon Shelly, please?" Deltasurge fluttered her optic shutters.

Scorponok felt torn. He didn't really want to betray Megatron and he didn't want to upset Deltasurge. Before all this, he and the Predacon leader had been good friends and planned the whole break-in at the Archives to take the first Golden Disk. But he had to admit that Megatron had changed since the war started. He wasn't fighting for the Predacon cause anymore; to be free from Maximal rule. He was in this now for self glory and conquest.

On the other hand, he had grown very fond of Deltasurge. Since the day she came online, she had, albeit a bit forcibly, worked her way into his spark and made it quite clear that she wasn't leaving any time soon. She had almost immediately figured out how to cheer him up and was always willing to spend time with him.

Before he could decide anything, G-Force stepped up. "If he will not fight back, I will," he stated.

"I will as well," Moonscope stood beside him. This was exactly what she and G-Force had talked about several weeks ago that one night. Now, they knew how everyone else thought.

There was a short pause until Tundra spoke up. "I'll join too," she said then a wave of agreement spread through the rest of the group.

"Ah heck, I'll pitch in too," Quickstrike said with a shrug. Then all optics turned back to Scorponok, who still hadn't said anything. "Well, what about you, partner?"

The gray mech sighed heavily with a claw to his forehead. Finally, he replied, "Alright... I'll help." Deltasurge grinned and, rather unexpectedly, kissed him hard on the cheek. Scorponok couldn't stop a blush from surfacing. "But just as long as we don't kill Megatron."

"Unless he kills one of us first," Terrorsaur said. "And frankly, I don't want to kill him right now. Enough have died to day."

"Yeah," Cheetor agreed sorrowfully.

There was another pause until G-Force asked, "What is our next plan of action?"

Terrorsaur had already had a little time to think this through a bit. "I say we pretend that this never happened, the rest of the Maximals come out, we fight but not to kill, and when it looks like curtains, we surround Megatron and Inferno."

"Then what?" Scorponok asked, a little skeptical. Even though he agreed to help, Terrorsaur still wasn't his favorite mech on the planet.

"Erm... that's as far as I got," the red mech admitted.

"I think we should tell him why we're stopping him from harming the Maximals any further and let him react," Tundra suggested. "However he reacts, we respond accordingly."

"It seems as good a plan as any," G-Force nodded.

"Indeed," Dinobot said then turned to his comrades. "I suggest that we see to Rhinox and Waspinator and inform them on the situation."

**AN:** Tundra belongs to **Megatron's Blackfire** (used with permission). I hope I wrote her right for you. :)

And yes, Star is still dead. Now keep reading.


	41. There and Back Again

**#41 - There and Back Again**

Waspinator exhaled softly as he watched Snowball, who was curled up sniffling on his lap. He did feel sorry for the poor little femme. He was still suffering from his pain from Starfeather's death. He rubbed the youngling's back in some sort of an effort to comfort her and himself.

She took a shaky breath and looked up at him, almost all sparklinghood brightness gone from her minty green optics. "Why did they have to die?" she asked hoarsely.

The green mech shook his head. "I don't know," he said, trying his hardest to speak properly for once but he couldn't keep the buzz out of his voice. "Zzometimez... 'botzz juzzzt die. Optimuzz Primal died becauzzze Megatron tricked him. Bird-bot... zzurge muzzzt have killed her."

Snowball looked down blankly at her hands. She had never seen Megatron and never tried to envision him in her mind. His name had just been a word. Now, she pictured him as a big, evil monster with evil red eyes and big teeth and claws and guns. She hoped that he wouldn't kill anyone else.

She understood little of the Pit and the Matrix. She just knew that the Pit was where bad Transformers went and the Matrix was where good Transformers went. She hoped that her daddy and Starfeather were happy in the Matrix.

-x-

As a matter of fact, Starfeather also believed she was dead. She knew she wasn't in her body anymore but there were no bright lights or soft clouds to welcome her to the afterlife. Nor were there any signs of eternal fires or darkness. She knew that she was being drawn to somewhere, but to where, she didn't know. She just hoped that everyone she cared about was alright.

Soon, Starfeather could tell that she was nearing a nebula. She came closer and closer until she was drawn inside. She was unsure about this and tried to fight the force pulling her in but that did nothing. In the gloom, she sensed glowing eyes watching her. They were all different colors but brighter and eerier than optics. She also heard voices in a language that she couldn't even begin to comprehend.

She was eventually drawn to a clearer area in the nebula. She also found that she had a body again. She was human and was bare. Before she could be concerned with hiding herself, she saw three ghostly birds with glowing eyes silently walk toward her from the mist. They stopped three feet in front of her and she noticed that they all looked like ravens but were different colors. The raven in the middle, who was so black it looked more like a shadow than a physical bird with red eyes, raised its head higher and spoke first.

"Emily White," it addressed her in a strongly deep and masculine voice.

"How do you know my name?" Starfeather asked.

"We have been watching you ever since you helped to destroy the island we made for you and your kind," the raven to the right said in an equally deep and masculine voice. Its feathers were brown and it had blue eyes.

She was confused. "You made it for the Transformers?"

"No," said the white raven to the left. Its voice was feminine but also deep. "We made it for the first species that would develop intelligence."

Starfeather understood a little bit. "Okay... so why am I here? What happened to the others?"

"The others are no longer of your concern," the white raven said. "We have brought you here so that we may send you to your proper time. You will have no memory that any of this has happened and you will continue with your life as you were."

Starfeather was shocked and now truly knew that she was not dead. "What? You can't just take me away. They need me!"

"Yours and their presence on the project could cause great damage to the time frame," said the shadow raven. "It is imperative that we remove you and create another means of sterilizing the project."

"But-" She had nothing to say. What could she say? How could she convince these powerful beings not to take her away or kill her friends and family? Wait... if they made this planet, and were studying how it developed, maybe she could say that the Transformers could be made part of it? "But why just toss this new possibility aside?"

The birds looked at each other then back at her. "What possibility?" the brown one asked.

"The Transformers," Starfeather went on hopefully. "You didn't intend for them to come but they did anyway. Aren't any of you the slightest bit curious as to just _how_ they will effect things?"

The birds glanced at each other but said nothing so she continued, wondering if she was winning them. "Not only that, but I was turned into one of their own kind. Aren't you just a little bit curious how one of your creations would adapt to being a completely different species?"

There was a long stifling pause until the shadow raven spoke. "You do present a considerable point," he said. "But it is not our authority to decide this mater. We are merely messengers. We shall take your plea to the Elders." With that, they dematerialized right in front of her and were gone.

Starfeather looked around, seeing more sets of glowing eyes around her. She sighed and sat on the ground or what ever was holding her up, folding her legs underneath herself and wrapping her arms around herself. She wondered how long she would have to wait and how long she had been gone.

-x-

The Predacons, plan in mind, went to back up their leader as the Maximals went inside their base to regroup. Rhinox was fine but they didn't know if what he had been trying to do would work yet or not. In the mean time, they rearmed themselves as the Predacons lined up once again. Snowball was told to stay in the bridge and not come out for anything. She promised. However, she would call Rhinox if anything happened with the stasis pod he had hooked up to that odd machine he had been using.

So, the Maximals made a counter line once they were outside. Fire rained down on them and they fought back with all they that had. It carried on through the night. Snowball tried to faithfully watch on the monitor but she eventually fell asleep on the consol.

Megatron couldn't help but notice what terrible shots everyone had suddenly become. He and Inferno were the only ones actually hitting the Maximals. He narrowed his optics in suspicious thought.

-x-

Meanwhile, inside the _Axalon_, while Snowball was still snoozing, someone came into the room. That someone looked around the room with some confusion. The someone already knew that their body was different than before but what they didn't know was how they had ended up in another room than this one. This someone came up quietly behind the sleeping vixen and lightly touched her shoulder.

"Snowball?" the Transmetal figure spoke gently. She moaned and turned her head the other way, away from the figure. "Snow, can you tell me what's going on?"

Snowball finally woke up enough to look up. She stared groggily at the other person until she thought she recognized them. But... _this_ couldn't be them, could it?

"...Starfeather?" she questioned.

The other nodded. "Yes, it's me." Starfeather looked down at herself again. "I don't know what happened. That's why I was wondering if you had any idea because I can't find anyone else."

But Snowball wasn't listening now. One of the happiest grins she could muster brightened her face like the sun. She slid from her chair and clung tightly around a surprised Starfeather's waist. "I can't believe it!" she squealed. "You're not dead anymore!"

The Transmetal raven chuckled. "You thought I was dead?"

"Well yeah," The youngling looked up at her. "Cheetor said you were when you wouldn't wake up after that surge thingy."

"You mean the quantum surge?" Starfeather asked but that was all that was able to come out of her mouth when something else happened. There was a flash and the stasis pod Rhinox had set up opened. Another Transmetal body came out and looked curiously at the girls.

"Snowball? Starfeather...?"

Neither of them could believe it.

"Optimus!"

"Daddy!"

He had made it. He kept his promise.

-x-

Terrorsaur suddenly stopped his mock attack and just hovered dazed where he was. He could feel something in his spark. It grew stronger until he could sense where it was coming from. A small eager and hopeful smile came to his face as he breathed, "Starfeather?" He reached out to her through their link... and felt her reach back. He couldn't contain a squawk of joy as he punched at the air. In his mind, he heard her wonderful laugh.

_"You thought I was dead too?"_ Her beautiful voice sounded clear as a bell. He couldn't reply for a moment before he regained himself.

_"Yes,"_ he replied. _"I couldn't feel you after the surge hit. What happened? Are you alright?"_

_"I'm perfectly fine, Screechy," _she assured him. _"But... I look different now."_

_"You do?"_ he asked but Megatron shouted at him to stop daydreaming and start shooting. He did so but wasn't paying any mind to where his shots hit. _"Are you a Transmetal too?"_

_"I uh... Look, I'd love to talk and you seem desperate to but right now, we need to be enemies and you guys need to retreat."_

_"No wait,"_ He stopped her from withdrawing just yet. _"We have a plan."_

_"Who's 'we'?"_ she asked. He then extremely briefly explained what had recently transpired and the agreement to partially help the Maximals. She didn't respond for a second as she took it in. _"I'll tell Optimus then."_

_"Optimus is back too?"_ This was getting ridiculous, not that he was complaining or anything, but still.

_"Yes, but I really think we should stop talking now and get on with things,"_ she said but he could hear the smile in her voice._ "I promise I'll tell you everything that happened to me then you can tell me all that happened to you later, 'kay?"_

Terrorsaur nodded and smiled warmly, though she probably couldn't see. _"Alright Star. I really, really love you,"_ he said.

_"I love you too,"_ Starfeather replied and he could almost feel the warmth of her lips on his cheek before she withdrew. He sighed, happier than he could put to words. He could barely believe it, she was alive! Feeling like he had drank a week's worth of energon in one sip, he continued his stream of plasma near the Maximals' position until he, as well as everyone else, looked up to see one of the lift doors coming down.

On the lift stood the Transmetalized forms of Optimus Primal and Starfeather. The raven was now almost completely black all over, only having silver and blue coloring in a few places, and was covered in chrome plating instead of feathers. She had some sharper angles in some places where she used to have curves and her legs were double jointed and her feet were much like her beast mode's. Her wings were still on her back in robot mode but they were bigger and had sharper looking feather-shaped plates. Her beast mode head still made up her upper body and instead of organic eyes, there were currently dark purple optics. Her regular optics were now an icy blue but her face was still light silver.

Her new armor gleamed in the morning sun and Terrorsaur was caught in a momentary spell. Starfeather caught his eye and she smiled sheepishly. _"I told you I looked different,"_ he could just hear her say.

Megatron was also taken by the sight of the Transmetal forms, especially Optimus. He had killed him, he knew he had. How could he possibly have risen from the dead and come back? Then he thought, perhaps it had something to do with that beam he had seen coming from the base hours before.

The rest of the Predacons, and even the Maximals, were also shocked. What would this do to the plan?

However, Terrorsaur decided that this exciting development changed nothing. After all, this was _his_ plan. He raised his gun to the dawn-painted sky. "Predacons, now!" he shouted and aimed his sights on Megatron.

The others were a bit confused for a second but also trained their weapons on Megatron and Inferno. The Predacon leader took a surprised step back. "You fools, what are you doing!" he roared. "Destroy the Maximals!"

"No," Terrorsaur said, changing some points to his speech that he had been formulating for the past few hours. "Optimus has come back and he doesn't look happy. Remember the last time you did something like that to him?"

"I should have known you would be behind this, Terrorsaur." But Megatron did remember. He had had Scorponok design a virus that would make the Maximal leader a coward, but it had the opposite effect. A now highly aggressive and trigger happy Primal had stormed into the Predacon base and... Megatron didn't care to recall the rest.

"It's not just him, Megatron," Scorponok spoke up. "We've all had enough."

The Predacon leader was shocked once again. "Scorponok?" he questioned. "What is the meaning of this?"

The Second in Command didn't answer for the longest time. "We're going back to base and leaving the Maximals alone," he finally said.

Megatron was genuinely stunned. He looked at all of his troops' faces. They were all serious and all of their gun barrels were pointed at him and his only truly loyal servant left. How could his men have organized such a standoff in such a short period of time? When?

However, Tarantulas was set apart from this rebellion. He was more concerned with what Blackarachnia was doing back at the base.

The Maximals watched with growing intensity. What would Megatron do? Would they turn and attack anyway?

Leader and rebel starred eye to eye. Neither seemed like they were going to submit. At last after several minutes, Megatron spoke. "You all are going to pay dearly for this act of treason."

"Then we will take it," Silverbolt said boldly.

With out waiting for an order or even a retort, G-Force began leading the way back home. The others quickly followed. Megatron stood almost shaking in rage. He knew there was nothing he could do. They weren't listening to him now. He hated this helpless feeling. When he got the chance, he would extinguish this spark of rebelliousness. For now, he faced Optimus. "This isn't over, Primal," he called. "I don't know how you came back, but I will be rid of you yet!"

They waited until the Predacons were out of sight before anyone dared to say anything. Cheetor grinned as he looked Optimus and Starfeather over and gave them a thumbs up. "Lookin' good, guys."

Everyone laughed.

**AN:** And I'll bet you knew somewhere deep inside that Star wasn't gone for good. How could I do that to poor Terrorsaur and Waspinator? :3


	42. Another Loop in the Hangman's Noose

**#42 - Another Loop in the Hangman's Noose**

**AN:** ATTENTION! ...okay, just letting you guys know that I've gone through this _whole_ thing again and fixed all these grammar and spelling errors that I've been so kindly informed about. Also, I have _slightly_ altered some things that happen in some of the chapters and the interactions between Star and Screechy. Thank you for your time, you may read and enjoy what I have posted for you now. :)

When they got to the base, Megatron was surprisingly quiet. He just went into his quarters and locked the door. Everyone knew that he wasn't happy in the least. His troops questioned and rebelled against him and to add insult to injury, Primal seemingly comes back from the dead. This was only the beginning of the end of the war for him.

Terrorsaur had gone to his quarters as well and G-Force had taken it upon himself to show the new Predacons around. Quickstrike was feeling right at home while Silverbolt and Tundra were having some second thoughts. Everything was so... dark. And it was apparent that everything Megatron told them about the Maximals, he lived out himself. They felt out of place.

Silverbolt voiced these thoughts to Tundra later that day while they happened to be alone in the lounge. The white wolf nodded as she listened. "I feel the same way," she said. "But I'll admit a few of the Predacons are fairly decent."

"Yes," Silverbolt agreed. "G-Force was most courteous in showing us the _Darkside_. Yet I still question whether we truly belong here or with the Maximals."

"I don't know," Tundra replied. "Maybe we should wait and see how things play out before we decide."

-x-

Deltasurge had come to Scorponok's room when she couldn't find him anywhere else. He let her come and go as she saw fit. She had a nasty habit of hacking into his door lock when he wouldn't let her in. He had been sitting on his bed when she came in, a pleased grin on her pink face. She came and sat almost right in his lap and wrapped her arms around him, leaning her lips near his audio receiver

"I'm proud of you," the she-crock whispered, almost a passionate hiss. "You're using your head, finally."

The gray mech shook his head. "I just agreed so you wouldn't get upset."

She gave him a look. "You and I both know that's not the only reason why," she said with a hint of sternness, turning his head to make him look at her. "You're getting tired of Megatron's ruthless and careless rule. He's not the mech he might have been anymore. It's time things finally changed for the better and you know it."

She was right. This whole war was turned upside down and he had had enough of this nonsense. He managed a crooked smile. "I wish I knew how you do that," he said.

Deltasurge grinned. "I'm a femme and that's all the answer you'll ever need."

-x-

Repairs made and explanations given, Starfeather was finally able to go to her quarters and answer her mate's tugging at their link. She made herself comfortable on her bed as she immersed herself into the bond. It wasn't that hard and she had gotten the hang of it within the first few days they had been mates.

Terrorsaur was waiting for her. She could see him almost crystal clearly in her mind as she off-lined her optics. He smiled and took her tightly into his arms as if she were really there.

She hugged back, sending all the reassurance she could. "I don't know why you couldn't feel me while I was passed out," she said.

"What do you remember?" he asked as he pulled back to look at her.

"Well, I was in the bridge when the wave hit, I felt a... a chill... and then it was dark, and then I wake up a Transmetal in my room..." She hesitated before going on. "And the ring was gone."

"Don't worry, I have it," he replied, taking his turn to reassure her. "Bluesprite took it and gave it to me when we thought you were gone."

"That's what I don't understand," she said. "I never felt dead and, basically, the same thing happened to me as to everyone else who got a Transmetal form."

"I guess we'll never know," Terrorsaur shrugged then tried to lighten the mood. "But I have to say, you're new form is very sexy."

Starfeather grinned, feeling a blush warm her cheeks. "Really? I thought I looked weird," she said and glanced self consciously down at herself. "I mean, look at my legs. I don't know where my knee is anymore," she joked, holding up one of her now double jointed legs.

Terrorsaur laughed but knelt down and gently placed his hands around her ankle and lightly brushed his lips over her knee, easing his hands up her leg and over her smooth black armor. She shivered as his fingers reached her thigh. He stopped and looked back up at her.

"No matter what you look like," he rasped. "You're still my beautiful shinning star."

Starfeather's smile warmed and she blinked her icy blue optics. "And I'll always love you," she replied in a whisper.

-x-

Dinobot was alone, just the way he liked it.

It was several days after what was thought to be the final battle. Optimus Primal was alive and well and everyone seemed to be in good spirits. Especially Bluesprite, yet she was always sickeningly optimistic.

The velociraptor had gone on patrol, like he usually did when the sun set. There was a lot on his mind about a lot of things. For some time, he had begun to suspect what planet this was and what time period it was in. He had guessed this was some time far, far into the future of Earth, and humans were no more and all their monuments and buildings and vehicles had been devoured by nature. The only thing that nullified this theory was the fact that there were two moons orbiting the planet.

Now he knew that this must be Earth's past. Ironic that he was part of his own races' future.

But whatever the situation, they all had to be careful of their moves. Anything they did could upset the balance of time. Unwittingly, they could drastically change the course of actions that their own ancestors took ages ago.

Timeline alteration aside, Dinobot stopped at a favorite clearing and, after inspecting it to be sure that no one was lurking, he transformed to robot mode and drew his sword. He gazed thoughtfully at his spinning blade, absently watching the golden red light of the sky reflected off of it.

He suddenly adopted a striking pose and held it for a moment, offlining his optics in concentration. He struck his imaginary target repeatedly, steadily moving forward, crying out with his fierce battle cries. When he reached the other edge of the clearing, he paused. After a few moments of breathing hard, he rapidly turned around.

He grunted in surprise when he was met by bright and playful green optics and a silly grin on a white face. "Hey DB, wassup?" Bluesprite asked, just as cheerful as she could be.

Dinobot was not amused in the slightest. "Why have you interrupted me?" he demanded, holding his sword across her face just like he would to Rattrap had it been the rodent disturbing him.

Bluesprite shrugged despite the threat so obviously looming in front of her. "Well, I was flying around and I heard someone yelling and then I found you. Playing with your imaginary friend over there?" She laughed.

"I am not 'playing', I am training," he snarled. "Something you could use a good dose of."

She backed off a step or two, waving her hands in front of her to say she meant no harm. "Okay, okay, sorry," she said. "No need to get snappy, I was just curious."

Dinobot narrowed his optics. "Then take your curiosity and sniff around somewhere else," he said sharply.

"Okay," She turned to leave then stopped and glanced back. "Y'know, I never see you hanging out with anyone. You just antisocial or grouchy?"

"I want to be left alone," he growled and moved his sword to indicate he wanted her to go, now.

The blue humming bird shrugged but stopped again before taking off and turned back to face him. "Was that a serious offer for training or you just bluffing?" she asked and pulled out her own blade. It was a bit shorter than Dinobot's sword and shaped like one of her beast mode wings only it was thinner.

Dinobot had half a mind to tell her just to shove off but decided otherwise. Perhaps if he beat her up a little, she'd leave him be. "Alright then, if you think you can handle my methods," he said and they began to spar off. He was surprised by her strength and how quickly she bounced back when he threw her down. Though he was most impressed with her enthusiasm, she still needed to master discipline.

Finally, he forced her back again and she fell against a tree, panting. "Okay... I give up," Bluesprite puffed. "You win."

"This match was not about winning," Dinobot replied with some harshness but put his sword away. He too was short on breath but not to the extent the humming bird was. "Now are you satisfied?"

"Yeah I guess," she said and would have hauled herself up if the raptor hadn't grabbed her shoulder and stood her up himself. She stared at him but his face was unreadable as he let go, transformed to his beast mode, and simply walked away.

Bluesprite scratched her head. "I wonder if that's his way of saying he likes me?"

-x-

Every day after the coup, Megatron tightened the noose around his troops' necks. He carefully assigned scouting patrols and didn't allow any off time other than when they needed to recharge. He kept Terrorsaur close by keeping him in the base at all times and under constant surveillance. He and Inferno were always put on guard duty at his personal quarter doors. The Predacon leader would soak in his bath and watch his soldiers on his own monitors.

Terrorsaur knew Megatron didn't trust anyone anymore but this was just too stifling. He was a flier and the natural longing to feel the freedom of the skies was eating away at him. He was grateful for the sensations that Starfeather would send to him but it just wasn't the same. He knew Megatron was doing this on purpose, trying to break his spirit, to make him go insane with claustrophobia.

_But I won't give in,_ the pterodactyl thought with a set jaw, optics burning into the wall across from him. _I'll never give in, not when I'm so close. You'll slip up eventually Megatron, and when you do, you'll pay dearly for all the wrongs you done to us._

**AN:** I was inspired for that scene with Star and Screechy from one of the last scenes in **Pirates of the Caribbean III** by _Disney_.


	43. Where Loyalties Lie

**#43 - Where Loyalties Lie**

**AN:** To get to where I left off, find these: -

He had taken the Golden disks from Megatron nearly a month ago as soon as his growing suspicions were proven true. He had already theorized on what would happen if his old commander were to act upon the power that he held. Dinobot wouldn't let that happen. He would find the truth to the Golden disks' power and decide where he should be standing. All he needed now was to wait for the right moment to make his move.

-x-

And that moment had come. While on a scouting mission with Rattrap and Starfeather, they came across Quickstrike, Deltasurge, and Tundra. They didn't exchange shots but remained in beast mode as they met. Starfeather alighted on a boulder overlooking the space between the rock walls. "I don't suppose any of you know more than Terrorsaur does," she said.

Tundra shook her head. "Megatron is succeeding at keeping us separated and ignorant to what's going on," she stated.

Dinobot snarled softly under his breath, thinking.

"I'll admit Megs ain't da idiot we'd all like tah think he is," Rattrap said, though he eyed Quickstrike with some mistrust. "But dere's gotta be a better way tah keep tabs on things."

Deltasurge tapped the rocky dirt with her fore claws irritably. "We all know he's planning something, right? The only problem is figuring out what it is."

"But how?" Starfeather asked. "The only one Megatron trusts is Inferno and he only has the impulses of a soldier ant."

As they tried to conjure up a way to get into the Predacon leader's plans, Dinobot was still silent, thinking. What ever it was Megatron was planning to do, he couldn't do so without the disks. He was the only one who knew where they were now. And Megatron would have no choice but to trust him to take him to them. This was his chance.

As the others began to argue, he quietly slipped away.

-x-

The raptor waited until Quickstrike, Deltasurge, and Tundra came back. He got inside the base while they weren't paying attention. Though they had no reason to suspect that he had followed them, they did wonder where he had gotten off to while they had been talking. He didn't show himself until Megatron ventured from his quarters, Inferno and Terrorsaur right beside him.

Then he snarled loudly, lunging forward as he transformed to robot mode. Terrorsaur and Inferno reacted by jumping between the raptor and their leader. Terrorsaur was wondering why Dinobot was here and what the slag he was doing. Dinobot knocked them aside but by the time he turned on Megatron, the metal .Rex had his tail cannon trained on his chest. He chuckled darkly.

"Impressive as always but ultimately futile," he purred then frowned. "Damage me and you will be scrapped in a nanoklick."

Dinobot glanced on either side to see Inferno and Terrorsaur training their weapons on him. The pteranodon's gaze was hard. What end to their cause would this show of foolishness accomplish?

The raptor narrowed his optics. "As might you be if they open fire," he retorted. "But that would be a waste of _two_ good Predacons."

Megatron narrowed his own optics. "I thought you were with _them_?" he said. By them, he meant _everyone_ other then himself and Inferno.

Dinobot paused before taking the other end of his sword and holding the hilt out to Megatron. "Times change." He kneeled.

The Predacon leader was not impressed. He gave the raptor a scrutinizing glare. This could be a trap. He watched Terrorsaur's reaction. The red mech lowered his blaster, apparently dumbfounded. He could be playing the part. "Why should I believe that this isn't just some transparent ploy?" he demanded.

Dinobot looked up. "You know me better than that," he snarled.

"So I thought!" Megatron snatched up the raptor's sword then pointed it back at him. "Then you skipped off to join Optimus Primal and then Terrorsaur."

"Because I thought you led us to the wrong planet and you betrayed me!" Dinobot stood.

Megatron snorted. "Treachery keeps the wits sharp."

"Indeed, and yours are razor sharp." He dared take a step nearer, meeting the other's magenta optics. "Which is why I believe that the victory is in your grasp. I would like to share in that victory."

"What?" Terrorsaur screeched. Megatron silenced him with a hard stare.

Dinobot then proceeded to change his transformation code. Terrorsaur didn't understand. What was Dinobot trying to do? Was he for real? Something here was off and he was going to find out what. Inferno then cut into his thoughts.

"This proves nothing!" the fire ant stated. "Anyone can change their codes willingly."

Megatron nodded in agreement. "Inferno has a point," he said, fingering the tip of Dinobot's sword. He again pointed it at the raptor's chest. "How do I know that your spark is truly Predacon?"

This could be his chance. "How about a Predacon challenge," Terrorsaur suggested. "Him against me... to the death."

Perhaps this was not a ploy after all. Megatron smirked. "Do you accept, Dinobot?"

He snarled. "I hardly call it a challenge but I accept."

Terrorsaur narrowed his optics.

-x-

Now they circled one another in their respective beast modes.

Terrorsaur had a sense of déjà vu but shook it off. This was no time to think about Starscream.

All of the Predacons were gathered around the crater and all just as baffled as the pteranodon. They whispered to each other as they watched and waited to see what would happen.

Dinobot held Terrorsaur's gaze. He could read the confusion and growing sense of betrayal on his pale face. He understood the red mech's feelings about this situation. But he had to do this. It might be the only way to get to Megatron before he did something extremely damaging. Even irreversible.

The rules were simple; survivor wins. Dinobot knew that Terrorsaur was someone to be reckoned with but he was stronger and more skilled. So, being the nice warrior he was, he allowed the pterodactyl to go first. "Your move," he growled.

Terrorsaur screeched in fury and lunged forward but Dinobot sidestepped and knocked the other off balance with his tail. Terrorsaur scrambled back up and leaped again, this time barreling squarely into the raptor's side. They tumbled in a heap, Dinobot ending up on top. Acting quickly, he caught Terrorsaur's head crest between his teeth, earning a shrill cry from the red mech, and tossed him into a rock face.

Terrorsaur lay stunned as Dinobot stalked closer, intending to finish the job. But Terrorsaur managed to haul himself on all fours. "Nobody... bites my crest... and gets away with it!" he panted.

"Whoa!" Quickstrike whooped as he watched. He nudged Tundra's side. "Think I could beat the winner, sugar-bot?"

The white wolf growled, flattening her ears irritably. "Call me that again and I'll bite your head-tail off."

Their attention was turned back to the battle as both Dinobot and Terrorsaur had transformed to robot and both shot their optical lazars. The beams met in the middle and both mechs pushed against each other. Terrorsaur gritted his teeth painfully and took a step forward, forcing Dinobot back a step.

Dinobot roared and, with all the energy he could muster, walked forward and blasted Terrorsaur back. The red mech collapsed to the ground, blinded. Almost every one gasped.

-x-

Starfeather collapsed to her knees with a sharp cry, optics squeezed shut and arms wrapped around her waist, feeling her mate's pain. Bluesprite had been walking with her. She knelt beside her. "Star? What's wrong?"

It took a few moments for the raven to regain herself. With Bluesprite's help, she stood back up. "Terrorsaur is fighting and loosing," she muttered.

"Megatron?"

"No." Starfeather shook her head. "Dinobot."

"Dinobot!"

-x-

Dinobot looked down on his fallen opponent. He never intended to kill Terrorsaur and wouldn't do so now. He took a breath. "It's over," he murmured and turned to walk away. He stopped when his sword stuck in the ground at his feet. He glanced back in Megatron's direction.

"Finish him," the Predacon leader ordered. -

The raptor looked again at Terrorsaur. He was dragging himself unsteadily to his feet. Energon and optical fluid trickled down his face. Sparking openings bordered by shards of glass were all that was left of his optics. Killing him now would be... dishonorable.

"He is an excellent fighter," Dinobot argued. "Though he has wronged you, he may yet be turned back."

Megatron considered this. He doubted that Terrorsaur ever would be beaten back down unless he was killed all together... but there always was a chance. Relenting, he looked to Inferno. "Get him to a C.R. tank," he ordered.

"Yes my Queen," Inferno replied with a gracious bow before moving to hoist Terrorsaur to his feet and guide him into the base.

Dinobot smirked. "I was not aware that you had given yourself a new title," he chided.

"Inferno has some faulty programming," Megatron explained a little too quickly. "But his loyalty is without question." He became more serious. "Now that you are one of us again, there is the matter of the golden discs that I know _you_ stole from me. I assume you still have them?"

"I gave the alien disk to Rhinox," Dinobot replied.

Megatron frowned. "Unfortunate... and the other one?"

The raptor paused before answering. "Hidden from _both_ sides."

The Predacon leader eyed him critically. "Where exactly?"

"Maximal ground. I'll get it for you," Dinobot assured him, then turned to follow the others back into the base. "Tomorrow."

"I'm afraid that won't do." Megatron's words stopped him in his tracks. "I went through a lot of trouble to steal that Maximal relic and I want it back. _Now_."

Dinobot never intended to give the disc back to Megatron at all. Doing so might prove to be a deadly mistake for everyone. However, if he was going to find the answers he wanted, he would have to take some risks. He only hoped that he didn't have to pay the ultimate price to get them.

-x-

As soon as Bluesprite got as much as she could out of Starfeather, the humming bird zipped off to find Dinobot and get the whole story from him. What was he doing fighting Terrorsaur? What was he doing on Pred territory to begin with? She was going to hunt him down, even if she had to break into the Predacon base, and demand if he had gone out of his processor.

She did hope that he was alright. She felt like she'd been breaking through his hard exterior and reaching the misunderstood mech on the inside. Maybe she really had been, maybe she hadn't, but she considered Dinobot her friend and Bluesprite never abandoned her friends.

She flew straight to the border, zipping here and there, searching high and low. She was beginning to think that he might have been captured until she heard a rumble. She hid behind a rock formation but scanned the skies with night vision. She didn't find anything until she finally spotted a weird figure. Was that...?

No, it couldn't be...

Megatron had Dinobot!

Bluesprite transformed to robot mode, ready to spring into action, until she saw them land on a hill, the top encircled by natural stone spires. Silently, she climbed the naturally formed stares to get close enough to hear what was being said.

"Ah..." That was Megatron. "With this disc, we shall rewrite the history of our race."

"Or destroy it." That was Dinobot. Her mind was burning with questions. She chanced a peek. Her green optics widened at what she saw

"Oh, I assure you," Megatron said. "All will happen as I have calculated." He then raised his tail weapon, poised to strike. Dinobot had his back to him. "Not that it will be any concern of yours."

He got no further. Bluesprite barreled into his waist, knocking them both to the ground. "I got 'im Dinobot! Get outa here!" she yelled, struggling against the larger mech.

Dinobot stared down at her, an unreadable expression on his face. Bluesprite stared back at him then at the Predacon leader below her, confused. Megatron wasn't fighting back. "Wha..."

Dinobot finally spoke. "You are mistaken, Bluesprite. It is you that must vacate the premises." He then fired his optical lasers, hitting her square in the chest. She collided against a stone, dazed and hurt physically and emotionally. She gasped in pain. What was Dinobot doing? Why had he shot her?

Megatron grinned as he stood up. "Welcome home, Dinobot," he praised. Then, turning to the fallen femme, he charged his tail weapon.

"Bluesprite might have backup," the raptor advised. "We should go." He hadn't intended anyone to die for his purpose, especially not the energetic Bluesprite. Though he found her just as annoying, if not more so, than Rattrap on a good day, he tolerated her company. She was over enthusiastic, but willing to be taught. She had learned much from him and, in turn, he had learned a little bit from her. He didn't want her to die.

"Yes," Megatron seemed to purr. "_After_ you exterminate this pest."

"She is defeated," Dinobot insisted. "It is unnecessary."

"Call it a final test of loyalty." Megatron narrowed an optic suspiciously. He wanted to make sure that Dinobot had no more ties with the Maximals or Terrorsaur's rebellion. If he killed Bluesprite, it would prove his loyalty.

Dinobot's shoulders stiffened. He didn't want to do this, but... he very well may have to. He drew his sword and came forward. Megatron stepped back. Dinobot pointed the tip of his sword at her neck. Bluesprite looked up at him, sparkbroken. He could see it in her optics.

What she said next cut him deeply for a reason he couldn't even begin to comprehend.

"I... I thought we were friends... Aren't we?" She was breathless but her voice didn't waver.

Dinobot paused, now poised to strike. His red optics were locked with her green ones. She was so_ innocent_. He couldn't make himself thrust his blade and end it. It would be... dishonorable.

Bluesprite got it now; Dinobot had thrown his lot back in with Megatron. And she happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was going to kill her to prove he was loyal to Megatron now. She readied herself for the final blow...

It never came.

Gradually, the sword dropped to his side.

Megatron was most displeased. He moved to strike but Dinobot whirled around and met him. They glared at each other, baring their teeth like feral animals.

"Your ambition has made you insane, Megatron," Dinobot growled. "You will destroy both Maximal and Predacon and all who came before."

"Then return to your Maximals if they will suffer a traitor like you in their midst," Megatron shot back, flinging their weapons apart. Quickly, he transformed to beast mode and took flight. He had what he wanted. He didn't need Dinobot. He didn't need _anyone_.

Dinobot and Bluesprite were left alone. He helped her to her feet but said nothing, not even meeting her gaze. She stared at him, completely baffled. "I don't get it," she murmured. "First, you're an outcast of the Predacons... and then you go crawling back to Megatron, only to leave him again?"

He took the verbal abuse. He knew he deserved it.

"How could you? Your honor-"

Here was where he drew the line. He faced her fully. "My honor is not what Maximals consider honor," he said forcefully. "It is Predacon honor. No matter how much you wish to forget this fact, I _am_ Predacon. You couldn't possibly understand." With that, he turned to leave.

Bluesprite kept her sights on him. "But I want to," she said. He stopped though didn't turn around. Convinced she had his attention, she continued. "I was born a Predacon with Terrorsaur, but I was raised as a Maximal when my parents were killed... I never could figure out just how I fit in with the Maximals until I finally figured out that I just had to let myself fit in."

Dinobot remained still, listening. He still didn't turn around.

"I realized that the Maximals accepted me for _who_ I was, not _what_ I was." Bluesprite limped slightly as she came toward him. "I've tried to help you see that but... you won't let me in. You don't let anybody in."

He could feel her close behind him. So close... too close. He almost flinched when she touched his shoulder. "Don't push me away," she pleaded. "I want to be your friend... as a Predacon _and_ a Maximal."

After what seemed like hours, he finally turned toward her. The single moon made her pale face glow. She looked so much like Terrorsaur yet so different. They were both headstrong and foolish. However, they were both also learning. And teaching, whether they meant to or not. Bluesprite was right. Dinobot pushed everyone away because he thought that they could never understand his plight.

He took a deep breath. "I... have misjudged you, Bluesprite." Still, his expression was unreadable but his optics reflected something that she couldn't quite read. "Can you forgive me?"

After a moment, Bluesprite smiled. Not like she usually did, goofy and carefree. She smiled genuinely, from one friend to another. "Yup," she replied. Her smile did turn into a silly one when Dinobot also allowed a small smile to crease his features.

Unable to control herself, Bluesprite flung her arms around him, pressing her face into the crook of his neck. She flinched at the stab of pain from her burnt chest but didn't care otherwise. Dinobot is, and still was, her friend.

Her action caught him by surprise. His first impulse was to shove her away and snap at her indignantly but, for more reasons that he couldn't possibly explain, he hesitated then let her stay. He soon relaxed and, tentatively, returned the hug. Though he wasn't used to such contact, he found that he tolerated... no, liked it.

They stayed that way for a very long time before finally returning back to base. Neither spoke of anything to anyone concerning that night.

**AN:** FINALLY! I finished the chapter! Wahoo! What do y'all think? I'm very happy with it.

If you like, you vote on my poll on my bio.


	44. Intermission

**#44 - Intermission**

**AN:** Okay, I had some issues with loading the rest of chapter 43 so it became 44 for some reason so I deleted it and reloaded it and you all must not have gotten the message... Incase you didn't know, 43 is now complete and I just whipped this up to get your attention. That's why it's so short. Sorry.

Terrorsaur paced the clearing, almost visibly fuming. In contrast, Dinobot stood tall and emotionless. They had met by chance while on scouting patrols and Terrorsaur was giving him a piece of his mind.

"Were you out of your fraggin' mind?" the red mech demanded. "You could've killed me! And you could've screwed up our chance to get to Megatron!"

Dinobot took the abuse. He had known full well what he was doing at the time was dangerous and risky, but he had need answers. "I do not have to explain myself to you," he growled.

Terrorsaur stopped and whirled around to face him, repaired optics blazing. "News flash! Technically, I'm your leader so yes, technically, you do."

A forceful snarl from the raptor made him back off. He grudgingly relented. "Fine, keep your secrets. It's not like you ever told me anything anyway." With that, transformed to beast mode and, with an angry screech, took off for the skies.

Dinobot snorted and he too shifted to beast mode. "You're right, I never tell you anything." He began walking again. "One day, you'll understand. One day..."

-x-

Megatron was greatly disturbed by Dinobot's treachery. He wanted to whack his head against a wall. He should've seen a stunt like that coming. He knew that he couldn't trust anyone here on this lonely planet.

However, some good had come from this latest fiasco. Megatron had the disc he had stolen again and he was having a breakthrough in deciphering it. If all went according to plan, the Decepticons and Predacons would have their rightful place on Cybertron, free from Autobot and Maximal rule.


	45. Broken Spark: Part 1

**#45 - Broken Spark: Part1**

**AN:** YES I'M ALIVE incaseyoudidntknow. :D;;

And I have an announcement. I am going off to college very soon here so updates will definitely be much slower, possibly multiple months/years between. I am so sorry for the inconvenience/disappointment. I am going to miss working on this story, especially since it's nearly finished and there's still the sequel... but I WILL finish it. I promise.

Life went on for the Maximals and Predacons. The Maximals were growing restless and the Predacons anxious (Megatron more so). Fortunately, something happened to break the tension. A stasis pod was discovered. But not just any stasis pod; protoform X.

Optimus, Cheetor, Starfeather, Blackarachnia, and Silverbolt were attempting to move the large pod from the bed of energon crystals it had crashed into in the middle of a river bank that was currently dry. It appeared to have been down for some time.

The group was attacked by Tarantulas. He tried to confront Blackarachnia, but his violent actions caused the energon around the pod to explode. The explosion activated the protoform inside and he went on a rampage. The others were able to stop him for a little while.

Silverbolt, realizing the true origins of the stasis pods, hence himself, wished to return with the Maximals and tried to get Blackarachnia to come with him. She curtly refused and they parted ways.

When Megatron was told of the seemingly immortal protoform, he got an idea. With the aid of Moonscope, an energon blade was used to sever the protoform's spark in half. Now unwillingly under the control of Megatron, he was named Rampage.

-x-

Tundra was pacing around her quarters, tail lashing as she thought. Why would Silverbolt just up and leave? It didn't matter which base they stayed at for now, did it? They were working with the Maximals, right? So why did he leave? Blackarachnia hadn't been much help in determining any answers.

The white wolf growled and snapped in irritation at her own reflection. "I guess I'll have to figure it out the old fashioned way," she muttered and stalked out of her room and down the dark passageways of the _Darkside_.

-x-

Silverbolt felt much more at ease among the Maximals than he did with the Predacons. He felt like he truly belonged. If only he could convince the others that had been protoforms, especially Blackarachnia. Something about her drew him to her. He had to convince her that she was on the wrong side.

-x-

Another stasis pod was discovered and, as usual, Megatron wanted it and Optimus didn't want him to have it. Not trusting the majority of his men entirely, the Predacon leader sent Rampage and Inferno to recover it. They encountered Rattrap, Cheetor, and Silverbolt while searching. The fire ant was distracted with trying to incinerate Silverbolt for treason so Rampage easily bowled past the rat and the cat.

It didn't take him long to find the stasis pod. It was partially buried in the face of a cliff. Rampage studied the pod critically. It was already damaged, he could see that. Perhaps if he just yanked it out...

The crab took hold of the stasis pod and braced himself. He pulled, but found that the pod was stuck tighter than he had realized. Not daunted, he shifted his weight and heaved again. This time the pod fell free, a few stones dropping with it. Rampage caught himself and set the pod down to inspect it. It was heavily damaged, but his pulling only caused scuffing on the exterior.

He could also feel that this protoform was powerful. He tilted his head to one side curiously. "What are you?" he wondered aloud. "Another... like me, perhaps?" He reached a hand out to touch the hatch.

Suddenly, purple electricity arched over the scarred surface of the pod. Rampage stepped back. "DNA scan: malfunctioning. Data tracts not recoverable. Cancel! Cancel!" the pod's computer blared. He narrowed his optics and moved to kneel before the pod to see if there was anything he could do to repair the damage.

"Stop!" an unwelcome voice ordered. It was Silverbolt. "This one is not for you. I will not let Megatron twist another innocent to his evil designs."

Rampage smirked (an interesting feat considering that his mouth was sideways) and stood to face the fuzor, but he stayed close beside the pod. "Fire on me if you like Maximal," he said lightly and waved a hand toward the pod. "But I'm afraid that you would also destroy what you seek to save."

The pod continued to writhe with bolts of electricity. "Warning: system overload. Deconstruction: imminent," the computer declared.

The crab was right; he couldn't shoot. Silverbolt didn't know what to do.

Rampage turned his attention back to the pod. "Yes, I feel your pain, your desperation. Your spark is indeed powerful," he said. The small spikes adorning the sides of his head twitched as he spoke. "Fight your way free. Fight!" he urged.

Silverbolt watched in horror as the electricity began to branch off from the pod and flail. A strange noise began to sound, almost like a scream. Without warning, the pod exploded. Silverbolt was knocked back by the blast, but Rampage held his ground. When the dust cleared, a mismatched robotic form stood before him. The protoform was tall and painfully skinny. None of the limbs seemed to go together; one hand had only three fingers while the other was some sort of weapon, one leg was bent forward while the other bent backward. The head was helm-less and supported by a long and thin neck. The face was virtually featureless and smooth. The optics were large and sunken in.

The protoform looked around, confused. Rampage was the first thing it saw. It stared at him curiously. Rampage stared right back. "Magnificent," he breathed. To him, it was magnificent. It was indeed a powerful spark, though quite the opposite from him. It was... strange. He was pulled from his thoughts as he heard someone coming.

It was the Maximals that he and Inferno had come across earlier. He narrowed his optics and turned back to the mismatched protoform. "They are your enemies," he explained calmly. "We must destroy enemies."

"He lies! He is a Predacon. The Predacons will only use you!" Silverbolt called and took a step nearer. "I am a Maximal. Maximals will extend you a hand of friendship." As he said this, he extended his own hand and mustered a smile.

Confused, the protoform looked helplessly from Rampage to Silverbolt.

Before anything could be said or done, a slightly damaged Inferno flew up behind the Maximals, shouting madly. "That creature is the property of the royalty!" he declared and took a shot at the bird dog. Naturally not wanting to get hit, Silverbolt dove out of the way.

However, the protoform was in the path of the blast. It wasn't injured badly, but it was mad. Opening its mouth, it screeched at a painful pitch. The air around it became distorted with pinkish waves. Everyone around was affected by the sonic scream. Inferno fell from the sky while the Maximals fell to their knees, mostly paralyzed. Rampage was affected as well, but he was able to keep his footing.

After several seconds, the protoform was satisfied with the damage it had caused and stopped screaming. The Maximals were left unconscious and Inferno was nowhere to be seen. Rampage shook the static from his vision and stared in fascination at the downed Maximals and the twisted protoform. It turned back to him, still curious. "Hush now," he coaxed, coming nearer, and carefully placing a hand on its shoulder. "No one will hurt you now. Come." He began leading it away. He didn't want Megatron to have this one. It was too... different. Much like himself. "I will protect you," he vowed. "I am your friend."

The word was strange on his vocalizer, but fitting. Rampage had never had a friend before, someone to watch out over rather than consume or destroy. It was certainly... different. "Yes... your only friend."

His new friend looked up at him with innocent admiration. Lips moved uncertainly and a deep but distinctly femme-like voice spoke. "Friend." She smiled.


End file.
